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ALL    OVER 


OREGON  /VND  WASHINGTON. 


OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  COUNTRY, 


p  fccncri],  ^oil,  |llim:iic,  fcuinxf.'',  ami  \  m^m\m\\s, 


WITH  AN    OUTLINE   OF   ITS   EARLY    HISTORY,   AND   REMARKS    ON    ITS    GEOLOGY, 
BOTANY,   MINERALOGY,   ETC.       ALSO,   HINTS  TO   IMMIGRANTS   AND 
TRAVELERS    CONCERNING    ROUTES,    THE    COST    OF 
TRAVEL,  THE  PRICE  OF  LAND,   ETC. 


MRS.  FRANCES  FULLER  VICTOR, 

AXJTHOn  OF  "  ItrVEE  OF  THE  WEST." 


SAN    FRANCISCO: 
PRINTED  BY  JOHN  H.  CARMANY  &  CO.,  409  WASHINGTON  ST. 

1872. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1872, 

By  FRANCES  FULLER   VICTOR, 

In  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington,  D.  C 


Printed  by  Stereotyped  at 

JOHN  H.   OAIt&L\NT  It  ,COi       .        ,       ,  •,    TBV.  CATJFOBMIA  TYPS  FOUTDEI. 


F88I 
PREFACE. 


After  a  residence  of  five  years  on  the  Pacific  Coast — three  of 
Avhich  were  spent  in  Oregon — a  visit  of  several  months  was  made 
to  the  Atlantic  States,  during  which  time  I  was  called  upon  to 
do  volumes  of  talk  about  the  West  Coast,  especially  about  Ore- 
gon and  Washington. — questions  concerning  which  every  body  I 
met  was  sure  to  ask.  The  great  dearth  of  information  concern- 
ing these  countries  there,  suggested  to  me  the  need  of  books 
which  should  faithfully  and  familiarly  treat  of  them,  their  natural 
features  and  resources,  together  with  their  business  and  social 
condition. 

Although  every  summer  of  my  residence  in  Oregon  had  here- 
to tofore  been  spent  in  excursions  to  different  parts  of  Uie  country, 
^  I  resolved  on  my  return  to  repeat  some  of  my  previous  journeys, 
^  and  make  others  in  new  directions,  until  all  was  perfectly  famil- 
g  iar,  and  thoroughly  understood,  which  related  to  the  geography, 
-^  topography,  scenery,  soil,  climate,  productions,  and  improve- 
^  ments  of  the  several  sections  of  the  two  divisions  of  the  North- 
S  west  Coast  treated  of  in  this  volume. 

While  it  was  a  pleasm-e  to  me  to  familiarize  myself  with  the 
country,  the  object  of  it  was  to  enable  me  to  answer,  in  print, 
all  the  various  questions  which  had  been  asked  me  concerning  it 
by  Eastern  people.  If  the  reader  follows  my  summer  wander- 
ings as  here  given,  he  will,  especially  with  any  thing  of  a  map 
before  him,  be  able  to  obtain  quite  a  complete  picture  of  all  that 
magnificent  territory,  now  being  rapidly  brought  into  communi- 
cation with  the  East,  through  the  enterprise  of  the  several  great 
railroad  companies.  Besides  the  general  information  thus  given, 
I  have  thought  it  best  to  furnish  many  details  of  the  condition  of 


ti  tSHD.'^ 


IV  PREFACE. 

the  agricultural  districts,  and  their  population,  for  the  guidance 
of  those  persons  who  may  be  looking  out  for  farms;  and  of  the 
situation  and  pojiulation  of  towns,  with  a  view  to  aid  immigrants 
in  the  selection  of  homes.  It  is  difficult  to  write  with  absolute 
correctness  of  those  countries  whose  rapid  development  outruns 
the  printer  and  publisher.  Since  this  volume  was  put  in  the 
hands  of  the  compositor,  numerous  con'ections  have  been  made; 
and,  between  that  time  and  this,  new  town -sites  have  been  laid 
out,  and  other  improvements  commenced,  which  do  not  appear 
in  these  pages.  But  these  slight  omissions  do  not  affect  the 
general  faithfulness  of  their  contents;  the  whole  constituting  an 
amount  of  infonnation  which  could  only  be  obtained,  otherwise, 
by  a  considerable  etpenditure  of  time  and  money. 

The  beautiful  and  favored  region  of  the  North-west  Coast  is 
about  to  assume  a  commercial  importance  which  is  sure  to  stim- 
ulate inquiiy  concerning  the  matters  herein  treated  of.  I  trust 
enough  is  contained  between  the  covers  of  this  book  to  induce 
the  very  curious  to  come  and  see  for  themselves, 

PoETLAND,  March,  1872. 


CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

Preface iii 

Inteoduction 7 

Chapter  I.  —  Discovery 9 

Chapter  II.  — Early  History 17 

Chapter  III.  —  About  the  Mouth  of  the  Columbia 35 

Chapter  IV.  — Astoria  and  its  Surroundings 45 

Chapter  V.  —  Among  the  Fisheries 57 

Chapter  VI.  — Tributaries  of  the  Lower  Columbia C-t 

Chapter  VII.  —  The  Gorge  of  the  Columbia 77 

Chapter  VIII.  —  From  Dalles  to  Wallula 91 

Chapter  IX.  —  Walla  Walla  Valley 105 

Chapter  X.  —  A  Glimpse  at  Idaho  and  Washington 119 

Chapter  XI.  —  A  Brief  Survey  of  Eastern  Oregon 130 

Chapter  XII.  —  Up  the  Wallamet  to  Portland 145 

Chapter  XIII.  —Oregon  City 158 

Chapter  XIV.  —  Salem  and  its  Surroundings 168 

Chapter  XV.  —  Albany,  and  other  Eiver  Towns 176 

Chapter  XVI.  —  The  Wallamet  Prairies 183 

Chapter  XVII.  —  Counties  Compared 194 

Chapter  XVIII.  —  The  Umpqua  Valley 210 

Chapter  XIX.  — Eogue  Eiver  Valley 217 

CH.VPTER  XX.— The  Coast  Country 224 

Chapter  XXI.  —  From  the  Columbia  to  the  Sound 230 

Chapter  XXII.  —Down  the  Sound 213 

Chapter  XXIII.  —  Bays  and  Islands 255 

Chapter  XXIV.  —  The  Washington  Coast 262 

Chapter  XXV.  —  Summary  of  Washington  Territory 267 

Chapter  XXVI.  —  Climate  of  Oregon  and  Washington 272 


VI  CONTENTS. 

FAQE. 

Chapter  XXVII.  —  Forests,  and  Lumbering 278 

Chapter  XXVIII. — Botany  of  the  Prairies 294 

Chapter  XXIX,  — Wild  Sports 300 

Chapter  XXX.  —  Among  the  Mountains 310 

Chapter  XXXI.  —  Geological  Formation  of  Oregon 321 

Chapter  XXXTI.  —  lilineralogy  of  Oregon 333 

Chapter  XXXIII.  —  About  Farming,  and  Other  Business. 343 

Chapter  XXXIV.  —  Land  and  Land  Laws,  Railroads,  Eoutes,  etc.... ....356 


INTRODUCTION. 

The  River  is  the  Soul  of  the  land  to  which  it  be- 
longs. Fringing  its  banks,  floating  upon  its  waters, 
are  the  interests,  the  history,  and  the  romance  of  the 
people.  Our  ideas  of  every  nation  are  intimately 
associated  with  our  ideas  of  its  rivers.  To  mention 
the  name  of  one,  is  to  suggest  the  characteristics  of  the 
other. 

How  the  word  Euphrates  recalls  the  earliest  ages  of 
man's  history  on  this  globe  !  The  Nile  reminds  us  of 
a  civilization  on  which  the  whole  of  Europe  depended 
for  whatever  was  enlightened  or  refined  anterior  to  the 
Christian  Era.  The  Tiber  is  rich  in  historic  associa- 
tions of  the  proudest  empire  the  world  ever  knew. 
What  romances  of  Moorish  power  and  splendor  are 
conjured  up  by  the  mention  of  the  Guadalquivir!  The 
Rhine  is  so  enwreathed  with  flowers  of  song,  that  the 
actual  history  of  its  battlemented  towers  is  lost  from 
view;  and  yet  the  mention  of  its  name  gives  us  a  sat- 
isfying conception  of  the  ideal  Germany,  past  and 
present. 

So  the  Thames,  the  Rhone,  the  Danube,  are  so  many 
words  for  the  English,  the  French,  and  the  Austrian 
peoples.  In  our  own  country,  what  different  ideas 
attach  to  Connecticut,  Hudson,  Savannah,  and  Missis- 
sippi !  How  quickly  the  pictures  are  shifted  in  the 
stereoscope  of  imagination  by  changing  Orinoco  for  San 
Joaquin,  Amazon  for  Sacramento,  or  Rio  de  la  Plata 
for  Columbia,  upon  our  tongues.     It  is  not  that  one  is 


8  INTRODUCTION. 

longer  or  shorter,  or  wider  or  deeper,  than  another :  it 
is  that  each  conveys  a  thought  of  the  country,  the 
people,  the  history,  and  the  commerce  of  its  own 
peculiar  region. 

In  comparison  with  other  rivers  of  equal  size  and 
geographical  importance,  the  Columbia  is  very  little 
known.  That  generation  is  yet  in  its  prime  which  was 
taught  that  the  whole  of  the  North-west  Territory  was 
Oregon — that  it  had  one  river,  the  Columbia,  and  one 
town,  Portland,  situated  on  the  Columbia.  It  is  the 
object  of  this  volume  to  correct  these  effete  notions  of 
one  of  the  most  genial  and  beautiful  portions  of  our 
Republic ;  and  to  connect  with  the  name  of  the 
Columbia  some  proper  ideas  of  its  history,  geography, 
commerce,  and  scenery,  as  well  as  to  describe  the  ex- 
tensive country  which  it  drains. 


ALL  OYER  OPiEGON  AND  WASHINGTON. 


CHAPTER    I 

DISCOVERY.' 


From  the  year  1513,  wlicn  Balboa  discovered  the 
Pacific  Ocean  at  Panama,  the  navigators  of  Spain,  and 
of  every  rival  naval  power  which  arose  for  the  follow- 
ing two  hundred  and  seventy-nine  years,  were  search- 
ing for  some  strait,  or  river,  which  should  furnish  water 
communication  between  the  two  great  oceans  which 
border  the  American  continent.  The  Strait  of  Magel- 
lan, discovered  soon  after  the  Pacific,  afforded  a  way 
by  which  vessels  could  enter  this  ocean  from  the  west- 
ern side  of  the  Atlantic;  but  it  was  far  to  the  south, 
crooked,  and  dangerous.  After  the  discovery  by  the 
English  buccaneer,  Drake,  of  the  passage  around  Cape 
Horn,  the  search  was  continued  with  redoubled  inter- 
est. Not  only  the  Spanish  and  Portuguese  entered  into 
it;  but  the  English,  who  had  found  the  great  inland 
sea  of  Hudson's  Bay  penetrating  the  continent  toward 
the  west,  endeavored,  by  offering  prizes,  to  stimulate 
the  zeal  of  navigators  in  looking  for  the  North-west 
Passage. 

A  rumor  continued  to  circulate  through  the  world, 
vague,  mystical,  and  romantic,  of  half  discoveries  by 

2 


10  OREGON   AND    WASHINGTON. 

one  and  another  power;  and  tales,  wilder  than  any 
thing  but  pure  fiction,  were  soberly  listened  to  by 
crowned  heads — all  of  which  went  to  confirm  the  be- 
lief in  the  hoped-for  straits,  which  one  pretender  to 
discovery  even  went  so  far  as  to  name,  and  give  lati- 
tude and  lonsritude.  The  Straits  of  Anian  he  called 
them;  and  so,  all  the  world  was  looking  for  Fretum 
Anian. 

All  this  agitation  could  not  go  for  nothing.  By  dint 
of  sailing  up  and  down  the  west  coast  of  the  continent, 
some  actual  discoveries  of  importance  were  made,  and 
other  hints  of  things  not  yet  discovered  were  received. 
There  even  appeared  upon  the  Spanish  charts  the  name 
of  a  river  somewhere  between  the  40th  and  50th  par- 
allels—the San  Roque — supposed  to  be  a  large  river, 
possibly  the  long -sought  channel  of  communication 
with  the  Atlantic ;  but  no  account  of  having  entered  it 
was  ever  given.  Then,  vague  mention  began  to  be 
made  of  the  "  River  of  the  West,"  whose  latitude  and 
longitude  nobody  knew. 

Just  before  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  a  Colonial 
Captain,  one  Jonathan  Carver,  being  inspired  with  a 
desire  to  know  more  of  the  interior  of  the  continent, 
traveled  as  far  west  as  the  headwaters  of  the  Missis- 
sippi. While  on  this  tour,  he  heard,  from  the  Indians 
with  whom  he  conversed,  some  mention  of  other  In- 
dians to  the  west,  who  told  tales  of  a  range  of  mount- 
ains called  Stony  Mountains,  and  of  a  great  river  rising 
in  them,  and  flowing  westward  to  the  sea,  which  they 
called  Oregon. 

After  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  Great  Britain  re- 
sumed her  voyages  of  discovery.  A  fleet  was  fitted 
out  to  survey  the  North-west  coast  of  America,  which 
it  was  thought  might  be  claimed  by  her  on  account  of 


DISCOVERY.  11 

the  voyage  to  it  by  Captain  Cook  some  years  previous. 
The  surveys  conducted  b}^  Captain  Vancouver  were 
elaborate  and  scientific.  He,  too,  like  those  who  had 
gone  before  him,  was  looking  for  the  "  River  of  the 
West,"  or  the  North-west  Passage. 

But  that  obtuseness  of  perception,  which  sometimes 
overtakes  the  most  sharp -sighted,  overtook  Captain 
Vancouver  when  his  vessel  passed  the  legendary  river; 
for  it  was  broad  daylight  and  clear  weather,  so  that 
he  saw  the  headlands,  and  still  he  declared  that  there 
was  no  river  there — only  a  sort  of  a  bay. 

Fortunately,  a  sharper  eye  than  his  had  scanned  the 
same  opening  not  long  before:  the  eye  of  one  of  that 
proverbially  sharp  nation,  the  Yankee.  Captain  Rob- 
ert Gray,  sailing  a  vessel  in  the  emplo}^  of  a  firm  of 
Boston  traders,  in  taking  a  look  at  the  inlet,  and  no- 
ticing the  color  of  the  water,  did  think  there  was  a 
river  there,  and  so  told  the  English  Captain  when  his 
vessel  was  spoken.  Finding  that  his  impressions  were 
treated  with  superior  skepticism,  the  Yankee  Captain 
turned  back  to  take  another  look.  This  second  obser- 
vation was  conclusive.  He  sailed  in  on  the  11th  of 
May,  1792. 

From  the  log-book  of  the  Coluiitbia,  Captain  Cray's 
ship,  we  take  the  following  extracts  :  At  four  o'clock, 
on  the  morning  of  the  11th,  "beheld  our  desired  port, 
bearing  east-south-east,  distant  six  leagues.  At  eight 
A.M.,  being  a  little  to  the  windward  of  the  entrance  of 
the  harbor,  bore  away,  and  ran  in  east-north-east,  be- 
tween the  breakers,  having  from  five  to  seven  fathoms 
of  water.  When  we  were  over  the  bar,  we  found  this 
to  be  a  large  river  of  fresh  water,  up  which  we  steered. 
Many  canoes  came  alongside.  At  one  p.m.,  came  to, 
with  the  small  bower,  in  ten  fathoms;  black  and  white 


12  OREGON    AND   WASHINGTON. 

sand.  The  entrance  between  the  bars  bore  west-south- 
west, distant  ten  miles ;  the  north  side  of  the  river,  dis- 
tant a  half  mile  from  the. ship;  the  south  side  of  the 
same,  two  and  a  half  miles  distant;  a  village  on  the 
north  side  of  the  river,  west  by  north,  distant  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile.  Vast  numbers  of  the  natives  came 
alongside:  people  employed  pumping  the  salt  water  out 
of  our  water  casks,  in  order  to  fill  with  fresh,  while  the 
ship  floated  in.     So  ends.'' 

No,  not  so  ends,  0  modest  Captain  Gray,  of  the 
ship  Columhia!  The  end  is  not  j^et,  nor  will  be,  until 
all  the  vast  territory,  rich  with  every  production  of  the 
earth,  which  is  drained  by  the  waters  of  the  new-found 
river,  shall  have  yielded  up  its  illimitable  wealth  to  dis- 
tant generations. 

The  Columhia s  log-book  certainly  does  not  betray 
any  great  elation  of  mind  in  her  officers  on  reaching 
the  "desired  port."  Everything  is  recorded  calmly 
and  simply  —  quite  in  the  way  of  business.  Only  from 
chance  expressions,  and  the  determination  to  make  the 
"desired  port,"  does  it  appear  that  Gray's  heart  was 
set  on  discovering  the  San  Roque  of  the  Spanish  nav- 
igators— the  "River  of  the  West"  of  the  rest  of  man- 
kind. No  explorer  he,  talking  grandly  of  "minute 
inspections"  and  of  "unalterable  opinions  !  "  Only  an 
adventurous,  and,  withal,  a  prudent  trader,  looking  out 
for  the  main  chance,  and,  perhaps,  emulous  of  a  little 
glory. 

No  doubt  his  stout  heart  quaked  a  little  with  ex- 
citement, as  he  ran  in  for  the  "  opening."  We  could 
pardon  him  if  it  shrank  somewhat  at  sight  of  the 
hungry  breakers;  but  it  must  have  been  a  poor  and 
pulseless  affair  of  a  heart  that  did  not  give  a  throb  of 
exultation,  as  his  good   sliip,  dashing  the  foam  from 


DISCOVERY.  13 

her  prow,  sailed  between  the  wliite  lines  of  surf  safely 
— througli  the  proper  channel,  thank  God! — out  upon 
the  broad  bosom  of  the  mo^  magnificent  of  rivers. 

We  trust  the  morning  was  fine,  and  that  Captain 
Gray  had  a  perfect  view  of  the  noble  scenery  surround- 
ing him:  of  a  golden  sunrise  from  a  horizon  fretted  by 
the  peaks  of  lofty  hills,  bearing  tliick  unbroken  forests 
of  giant  trees;  of  low  shores  embowered  in  flowering 
shrubber}^;  of  numerous  mountain -spurs  putting  out 
into  the  wide  bay,  extending  miles  cast  and  west,  and 
north  and  south,  forming  numerous  other  bays  and 
.coves,  where  boats  might  lie  in  safety  from  any  storm 
outside;  of  other  streams  dividing  the  mountains  into 
ridges,  and  poinding  their  tributary  waters  into  the 
great  river,  through  narrow  gaps  that  half  revealed 
and  half  concealed  the  fertile  valle3's  nestled  away 
from  inquisitive  eyes:  and  that,  as  he  tried  in  vain  to 
look  beyond  the  dark  ridge  of  Tongue  Point,  around 
whose  foot  flowed  the  broad,  deep  current  whose  ori- 
gin was  still  a  mystery,  he  realized  by  a  prophetic 
sense  the  importance  of  that  morning's  transaction. 
No  other  reward  had  he  in  his  lifetime,  and  we  trust 
he  had  that. 

From  the  ship's  log-book,  we  learn  that  he  did  not 
leave  the  river  for  ten  days,  during  which  time  the 
men  were  employed  calking  the  pinnace;  paying  the 
ship's  side  with  tar,  painting  the  same,  and  doing  such 
carpenter -work  as  was  needed  to  put  the  vessel  in  re- 
pair after  her  long  voyage  out  from  Boston.  All  this 
time,  "vast  numbers"  of  natives  were  alongside  con- 
tinually, and  the  Captain  must  have  driven  a  thriving 
ti'^ide  in  furs,  salmon,  and  the  like.  On  the  14th,  he 
sailed  up  the  river  about  fifteen  miles,  getting  aground 
just  above  Tongue  Point,  where  he  mistook  the  chau- 


14  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

iiel  among  the  many  islands;  but  the  ship  ''coming  off 
without  any  assistance,"  he  dropped  down  to  a  better 
anchoring  place.  « 

On  the  15th,  in  the  afternoon.  Captain  Gray,  and 
Mr.  Hoskins,  the  first  officer,  "went  on  shore  in  the 
jolly-boat,  to  take  a  short  view  of  the  country."  On 
the  IGtli,  the  ship  returned  to  her  first  position  off  the 
Chinook  village,  and  was  again  surrounded  by  the 
canoes  of  that  people.  Just  as  it  w^as  seventy-nine 
years  ago,  the  Chinook  village  remains  to-day — a  clus- 
ter of  huts  on  the  north  side  of  the  river;  but  its  peo- 
ple are  no  longer  numerous.  It  is  rare  to  see  a  single 
canoe,  where  they  used  to  swarm  in  fleets  on  this  por- 
tion of  the  river. 

Captain  Gray  was  thinking  of  getting  to  sea  again 
by  the  18th;  but  on  standing  dowm  the  river  toward 
the  bar,  the  wind  came  light  and  fluttering,  and  again 
the  anchor  was  dropped.  He  must  now  decide  upon  a 
name  for  this  great  stream,  which  from  its  volume  he 
knew  must  come  from  the  heart  of  the  continent.  The 
log  of  the  19th  says  :  "Fresh  and  clear  weather.  Early 
a  number  of  canoes  came  alongside :  seamen  and  trades- 
men employed  in  their  various  departments.  Captain 
Gray  gave  the  river  the  name  of  Columbia's  River;  and 
the  north  side  of  the  entrance.  Cape  Hancock ;  that  on 
the  south  side.  Point  Adams." 

On  the  20 til  of  May,  the  sliip  took  up  anchor,  made 
sail,  and  stood  down  the  river,  coming,  as  the  follow- 
ing extract  will  show,  near  being  wrecked:  "At  two, 
the  wind  left  us,  we  being  on  the  bar  with  a  very 
strong  tide,  which  set  on  the  breakers.  It  was  now 
not  possible  to  get  out  without  a  breeze  to  shoot  her 
across  the  tide;  so,  we  were  obliged  to  bring  up  in 
three  and  a  half  fathoms,  the  tide  running  five  knots. 


DISCOVERY.  15 

At  three-quarters  past  two,  a  fresh  wind  came  in  from 
seaward;  we  immediately  came  to  sail  and  beat  over 
the  bar,  having  from  five  to  seven  fathoms  water  in  the 
channel.  At  five  p.m.,  we  were  out,  clear  of  all  the 
bars,  and  in  twenty  fathoms  water." 

Captain  Gray  proceeded  from  Columbia's  River  to 
Nootka  Sound,  a  favorite  harbor  for  trading  vessels, 
but  in  dispute  at  that  time  between  Spain  and  Great 
Britain.  Here  he  reported  his  discovery  to  the  Span- 
ish Comandante,  Quadra,  and  gave  him  a  copy  of  his 
charts.  In  the  controversy  which  afterward  happened 
between  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States,  concern- 
ing the  title  to  the  Oregon  territory,  the  value  of  this 
precaution  became  apparent:  for  in  that  controversy 
the  Comandante' s  evidence  destroyed  the  pretensions 
of  Vancouver's  lieutenant,  Broughton,  who,  on  having 
heard  of  Gray's  discovery,  returned  to  the  Columbia 
River,  and  made  a  survey  of  it  up  as  far  as  the  mouth 
of  the  "Wallamet,  founding  upon  this  survey  the  claim 
of  Great  Britain  to  a  discovery -title.  The  subterfuge 
was  resorted  to  of  denying  that  the  Columbia  was  a 
river  below  Tongue  Point;  but  it  was  claimed  that  it 
was  an  inlet  or  sound.  Were  it  not  a  fact  patent  to 
every  one,  that  a  river  must  extend  as  far  as  the  force 
of  its  current  is  felt,  the  pretense  would  still  be  per- 
fectly transparent,  since  Gray  must  have  passed  Tongue 
Point,  and  been  in  what  Broughton  claimed  to  be  the 
actual  river  before  he  grounded^  Yeai-^  afterward,  the 
log-book  of  the  obscure  Yankee  trader,  and  the  evi- 
dence of  Comandante  Quadra,  overbore  all  strained  pre- 
tenses, and  manifest  destiny  made  Oregon  and  its  great 
river  a  portion  of  the  American  Republic. 

Captain  Robert  Gray  was  the  first  man  to  carry  the 
flas;  of  the  United   States  around  the  world,  having. 


16  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

in  the  .spring  of  1792,  just  returned  from  a  vo^^age 
from  Xootka  to  Canton,  and  from  Canton  to  Boston, 
by  way  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  He  continued  to 
command  a  trading  vessel  up  to  the  time  of  his  death, 
in  1809.  Gray's  Harbor,  on  the  coast  of  Washington 
Territory,  was  discovered  and  named  by  him,  the  name 
remaining  as  a  memorial.  Ought  he  not  have  some 
other  ? 

In  October,  1792,  Vancouver  having  finished  the 
survey  of  Puget  Sound,  in  which  the  Spanish  fleet 
was  also  engaged,  Broughton  was  dispatched  to  the 
Columbia  River,  with  the  Chatham^  which  grounded 
just  inside  Cape  Hancock;  was  got  off,  and  anchored 
in  a  small  bay  on  the  north  side  of  the  river,  known 
as  Baker's  Bay.  In  this  cove  he  found,  to  his  surprise, 
another  vessel,  the  brig  Jenny,  from  Bristol,  England, 
commanded  by  Captain  Baker,  from  whom  he  had 
parted  in  Nootka  Sound.  The  cove  was  thence  named 
Baker's  Bay.  From  this  time,  the  Columbia  continued 
to  be  visited  by  trading  vessels  up  to  the  war  of  1812, 
which  interrupted  this  sort  of  traffic  for  the  time. 


CHAPTER    II. 

EARLY   HISTORY. 

In  the  commencement  of  the  present  century,  when 
we  paid  for  our  teas  and  silks  with  seal-skins,  cocoa- 
nut  oil,  and  sandal-wood,  not  to  mention  turtle  and 
a])alone  shells,  the  United  States  were  bounded  by 
the  British  provinces  on  the  north,  by  the  Spanish 
possessions,  called  Florida,  on  the  south,  and  by  the 
French  possessions,  called .  Louisiana,  on  the  west. 
Our  sea-coast  extended  only  from  the  northern  bound- 
ary of  Maine  to  the  southern  boundary  of  Georgia; 
and  the  Mississippi  River  represented  our  western 
water-front,  although  the  settlements  in  that  part  of 
our  territory  were  chiefly  French.  Beyond  the  Mis- 
sissippi was  an  expanse  of  country  whose  extent  was 
undreamed  of,  as  its  geographical  configuration  was 
unknown.  The  explorations  of  the  British  Fur  Com- 
panies in  the  north  had  revealed  the  existence  of  high 
mountains,  and  great  rivers  in  that  direction;  while 
the  little  knowledge  obtained  of  the  sources  of  the 
Missouri,  the  Columbia,  and  the  Colorado,  together 
with  the  immense  volumes  of  these  rivers,  at  so  great 
an  apparent  distance  from  their  springs,  was  sufficient 
to  stimulate  public  inquiry  and  scientific  rosearch. 
How  long  such  inquiry  would  have  been  deferred,  but 
for  a  fortunate  turn  in  the  public  affairs  of  the  United 
States,  can  only  be  conjectured. 

Our  3^oung  Republic  had  barely  established  her  in- 
dependence,  and  shaken  off  the    lingering   grasp  of 


18  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

Great  Britain  from  the  forts  and  towns  bordering  on 
the  Great  Lakes  ;  had  only  just  begun  to  feel  the 
young  giant's  blood  in  her  veins,  and  to  trust  her  own 
strength  when  measured  with  that  of  an  older  and 
adroit  foe — when  the  nineteenth  century  dawned,  in 
.which  so  much  has  already  been  accomplished,  though 
its  seventh  decade  is  but  just  completed. 

The  first  event  of  importance  marking  this  period, 
and  bearing  upon  the  history  of  Oregon,  was  the  pur- 
chase from  France  of  the  Louisiana  territory.  This  was 
a  vast  area  of  country,  drained  by  the  waters  of  the 
Mississippi,  and  originally  settled  by  the  French  from 
Canada,  especially  in  its  more  northern  parts.  Not- 
withstanding the  Spaniards  had  discovered  the  lower 
Mississippi,  and  claimed  a  great  extent  of  country  un- 
der the  general  name  of  Florida,  King  Louis  XI Y.  of 
France,  in  consideration  of  the  fact  that  the  region 
of  the  Mississippi  remained  unoccupied  by  Spain, 
while  it  was  gradually  being  settled  by  his  own  peo- 
ple, thought  proper  to  grant  to  Antoine  Crozat,  in 
1712,  the  exclusive  trade  of  the  whole  of  southern 
Louisiana,  the  country  included  in  this  grant  extend- 
ing "from  the  sea-shore  to  the  Illinois,  together  with 
the  Rivers  St.  Philip  (the  Missouri),  and  the  St.  Je- 
rome (the  Ohio),  witli  all  the  countries,  territories, 
lakes  in  the  land,  and  rivers  emptying  directly  or  in- 
directly into  that  part  of  the  River  St.  Louis "  (the 
Mississippi).  Spain  not  being  able  to  offer  any  suc- 
cessful opposition  to  this  extensive  land-grant  of  terri- 
tories to  which  she  laid  claim  by  the  right  of  dis- 
covery, Crozat  remained  in  possession  of  Louisiana, 
under  the  general  government  of  New  France,  until 
1717,  when,  not  finding  the  principality  such  a  mine 
of  wealth  as  he  expected  it  to  be,  and  having  sufl'ercd  a 


EARLY   HISTORY.  19 

great  private  grief  which  took  away  the  love  of  power, 
he  relinquished  his  title,  and  Louisiana  reverted  to  the 
crown.  The  Illinois  country  was  afterward  added  to 
the  original  Louisiana  territory,  and  the  whole  once 
more  granted  to  Laivs  3fississippi  Compamj^  which  com- 
pany lield  it  until  1732,  when,  the  bubble  of  specu- 
lation being  hopelessly  flattened,  Louisiana  once  more 
reverted  to  the  French  crown,  and  remained  a  French 
province  until  17G9, 

In  the  meantime,  however,  certain  negotiations  were 
being  carried  forward  which  were  to  decide  the  future 
boundaries  of  the  United  States.  In  1TG2,  on  the  3d 
of  November,  a  convention  was  held  at  Paris,  to  settle 
the  preliminaries  of  peace  between  France  and  Spain 
on  the  one  part,  and  England  and  Portugal  on  the 
other,  in  which  convention  it  was  agreed  that  France 
should  cede  to  Spain  ''all  tho  countr}^  known  under 
the  name  of  Louisiana,  as  also  New  Orleans  and  the 
island  on  which  that  city  is  situated."  On  the  23d  of 
the  same  montli,  this  cession  was  formally  concluded, 
giving  to  Spain,  with  the  consent  of  Great  Britain  and 
Portugal,  all  the  country  drained  by  the  Mississippi 
and  its  tributaries,  except  a  small  portion  north  of  the 
Illinois  country,  which  was  never  mentioned  in  the 
boundaries  of  Louisiana. 

In  less  than  three  months  after  the  cession  of 
Louisiana  to  Spain,  a  treaty  was  concluded  in  Paris 
between  the  same  high  contracting  parties,  by  which 
Great  Britain  obtained  from  France  Canada,  and  from 
Spain  Florida,  and  that  portion  of  Louisiana  east  of  a 
line  drawn  along  the  middle  of  the  Mississippi,  "from 
its  source  to  the  River  Iberville,  and  thence  along  the 
middle  of  the  Iberville,  and  the  Lakes  Maurepas  and 
Pontchartrain,  to  the  sea." 


20  OREGON    AND    WASHINGTON. 

This  treaty  defined  the  limits  of  the  territories  be- 
longing to  Great  Britain,  and  set  aside  any  former 
grants  of  English  Kings,  made  when  the  extent  of  the 
continent  was  not  even  surmised.  Thus,  at  the  close 
of  the  Revolutionary  War,  when  the  United  States 
became  heirs  of  all  the  British  possessions  south  of 
Canada,  their  western  boundary,  as  before  mentioned, 
was  the  Mississippi,  as  far  south  as  the  River  Iberville 
and  Lake  Pontchartrain — New  Orleans  and  the  mouths 
of  the  Mississippi  belonging  to  Spain. 

Florida,  during  the  time  it  was  in  the  hands  of  Great 
Britain,  had  been  divided  into  two  provinces,  separated 
by  the  Appalachicola  River,  and  settled  chiefly  by  emi- 
grants from  the  south  of  Europe,  to  whose  numbers, 
also,  a  few  Carolinians  were  added.  This  colony  of 
foreigners  was  used,  in  connection  with  the  savage  na- 
tives of  Florida,  with  great  effect  against  the  southern 
colonies  during  the  War  of  Independence.  However, 
while  they  were  directing  their  energies  against  Geor- 
gia, the  Spaniards  of  Louisiana  seized  the  opportunity 
for  making  incursions  into  these  nondescript  British 
provinces,  and  captured  their  chief  towns,  thereby  ren- 
dering them  worthless  to  Great  Britain;  and  in  1783, 
Florida  was  retroceded  to  Spain,  in  whose  hands  it  was 
in  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century,  then  form- 
ing the  southern  boundary  of  the  United  States 

In  all  these  transactions  the  limits  of  neither  Flor- 
ida nor  Louisiana  had  ever  been  distinctly  defined ;  the 
southern  boundaries  of  the  latter  infringing  upon  the 
western  boundaries  of  the  former  territory.  In  1800, 
when  Spain  retroceded  Louisiana  to  France,  it  was 
described  in  the  treaty  as  being  the  "same  in  extent 
that  it  now  is  in  the  hands  of  Spain,  and  that,  it  had 
been  ivlien  France  possessed  it" — that  is,  embracing  the 


EARLY   HISTORY.  21 

whole  territory  drained  by  the  Mississippi  and  its  trib- 
utaries, ''directly  or  indirectly," 

In  1803,  April  30th,  this  vast  extent  of  country 
was  ceded  to  the  United  States  by  France,  "with  all 
its  rights  and  appurtenances,  as  fully,  and  in  the  same 
manner,  as  they  had  been  acquired  by  the  French 
Republic,"  by  the  retrocession  of  Spain.  By  this 
transfer  on  the  part  of  France,  the  Spanish  govern- 
ment seemed  at  first  disposed  to  be  ollfended,  and  to 
offer  obstacles  to  the  settlement  of  the  ximericans  in 
their  newly  acquired  territory.  Doubtless,  this  feeling 
arose  from  the  unsettled  condition  of  the  boundary 
questions,  and  a  fear  that  the  United  States  would,  as 
they  did,  demand  the  surrender  of  the  whole  of  the 
original  territory  of  Louisiana,  called  for  by  the  treaty. 
Spain  then  undertook  to  prove  that  the  pretensions  of 
France  to  any  territories  west  of  the  Mississippi  could 
not  bo  supported,  and  that  the  French  settlements 
were  only  tolerated  by  Spain  for  the  sake  of  peace. 
Such  a  discrepancy  between  the  views  of  the  two  na- 
tions forbade  negotiation  at  that  time,  and  the  matter 
rested,  not  to  be  revived  until  1817.  In  the  mean- 
time, however,  the  United  States,  in  1811,  feeling  the 
necessity  of  holding  the  principal  posts  in  the  disputed 
territory  against  all  other  powers,  took  possession  of 
the  country  west  of  the  Perdido  River,  which  was  un- 
derstood to  be  the  western  limit  of  Florida.  But  a 
British  expeditioii  having  fitted  out  from  Pensacola 
during  the  second  war  with  Great  Britain,  the  United 
States  sent  General  Jackson  to  capture  it,  which  he 
did  in  1814,  and  again  in  1818,  as  also  the  Fort  of  St. 
Mark.  Those  repeated  demonstrations  of  the  spirit  of 
the  United  States  led  to  further  and  more  successful 
negotiations  with  Spain,  which  power  finally  ceded  to 


22  OREGON   AND   TTASHINGTON. 

the  American  Government  the  whole  of  the  territory 
claimed  to  belong  to  Florida,  February  22,  1819,  the 
boundaries  being  settled  as  follows  : 

"Article  3.  The  boundary  line  between  the  two 
countries  west  of  the  Mississippi  shall  begin  on  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico,  at  the  mouth  of  the  River  Sabine,  in 
the  sea,  continuing  north,  along  the  western  bank  of 
that  river,  to  the  2od  degree  of  latitude;  thence,  by  a 
line  due  north,  to  the  degree  of  latitude  where  it 
strikes  the  Rio  Roxo  of  JS^atchitoches,  or  Red  River; 
then,  following  the  course  of  the  Rio  Roxo  westward, 
to  the  degree  of  longitude  100  west  from  London  and 

23  from  Washington;  then,  crossing  said  Red  River, 
and  running  thence,  by  a  line  due  north,  to  the  River 
Arkansas  ;  thence,  following  the  course  of  the  south- 
ern bank  of  the  Arkansas,  to  its  source  in  latitude  42 
north ;  and  thence,  by  that  parallel  of  latitude,  to  the 
South  Sea." 

Other  particulars  are  added  in  the  article  quoted, 
the  meaning  of  which  is  the  same  as  the  foregoing: 
intended  to  fix  the  western  boundary  of  the  United 
States,  as  regarded  the  Spanish  possessions,  and  the 
eastern  and  northern  boundaries  of  the  Spanish  pos- 
sessions, as  regarded  the  United  States. 

Spain  had  never  withdrawn  her  pretensions  to  the 
North-west  Coast;  but,  being  unable  to  colonize  this 
distant  territory,  and  still  less  able  to  hold  it  by  garri- 
sons in  forts,  she  tacitly  relinquished  her  claim  to  the 
United  States,  by  making  the  forty-second  parallel  the 
northern  limit  of  her  possessions  on  the  Pacific.  The 
United  States  were  then  at  liberty  to  take  possession 
of  that  which  Spain  relinquished  in  tlicir  favor;  in  fact, 
had  the  same  right  to  this  remote  territory  that  they 


EARLY    HISTORY.  23 

had  to  the  Florida  and  Louisiana  territories,  which  were 
obtained  by  treaty  from  nations  claiming  them  by  the 
right  of  discovery. 

But  the  claims  of  the  United  States  to  the  so-called 
Oregon  territory  had  even  better  foundations  than  this, 
if  it  be  considered  that  Spain  had  actually  abandoned 
her  possessions  in  the  north-west;  for,  in  that  case, 
the  Oregon  territory  was  theirs  by  the  right  of  dis- 
covery and  actual  occupation,  as  well  as  by  contiguity, 
by  treaty,  etc.  At  the  time  that  Gray  discovered  and 
named  Columbia's  River,  important  as  the  discovery 
was,  it  awakened  but  little  thought  in  the  American 
mind;  because,  as  yet,  we  had  not  acquired  Louisiana, 
stretching  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  nor  even  secured 
the  coast  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  which  was  much 
more  of  an  object,  at  that  time,  than  the  coast  of  the 
Pacific.  However,  when  Louisiana  became  ours,  the 
national  mind  awoke  to  the  splendid  possibilities  of 
the  nation's  future.  It  was  not  for  naught  that  a  com- 
pany of  Boston  merchants  had  opened  a  trade  between 
China  and  the  North-west  Coast;  albeit,  their  captains 
gathered  up  trinkets  of  all  sorts  to  add  to  their  stock 
in  trade,  should  furs  fall  short  of  the  market.  Not  in 
vain  had  the  prying  Boston  traders  peered  into  all  in- 
lets, bays,  and  rivers  on  the  North-west  Coast.  When 
it  came  to  discovery-rights,  they  had  more  claims  than 
any  people,  the  original  discoverers  excepted;  and 
when  Captain  Vancouver's  journal  was  published,  it 
only  con^■inced  them  that  they  should  be  fools  not  to 
profit  by  what  it  was  so  evidently  fair  they  should 
profit  by,  though  they  did  not  quite  see  the  way  clear 
to  the  occupancy  of  the  country  which  Columbia's 
River  was  believed  to  drain,  nor  of  the  islands  and 
bays  which  their  trading  ships  had  explored.    If  Spain 


24  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

chose  to  hold  possession  of  these  coasts,  they  would 
not  interfere;  but  if  Great  Britain  attempted  to  over- 
ride both  Spain  and  America,  in  laying  claim  to  the 
Pacific  side  of  the  continent,  something  might  be  done 
by  way  of  preventing  this  attempt. 

Such  must  have  been  the  thought,  half-indulged,  half- 
repressed,  in  the  American  mind,  previous  to  the  ac- 
quisition of  the  great  Louisiana  territory.  After  that 
acquisition,  it  became  more  decided.  The  fact  that 
Gray  had  discovered  the  great  River  of  the  West, 
which  for  a  century  had  been  sought  after,  the  in- 
creasing evidences  of  the  incapacity  of  Spain  to  hold 
this  far-off  coast  against  intruders,  the  feeling  that 
Great  Britain  had  no  ria;ht  to  the  countries  she  had 
so  pompously  taken  possession  of  in  the  face  of  their 
actual  discoverers — all  these  reasons,  joined  to  the 
probable  fact  that  the  Louisiana  territory  bordered 
upon  that  drained  by  the  great  western  river,  which 
an  American  was  first  to  enter  and  explore,  at  length 
shaped  the  policy  of  a  few  leading  minds  among  Amer- 
ican statesmen. 

It  was  even  contended  by  some,  that,  as  the  west- 
ern boundary  of  Louisiana  had  never  been  fixed,  and, 
indeed,  was  entirely  unknown — since  the  Missouri  and 
its  tributaries  had  -never  been  explored — the  limits  of 
the  newly -acquired  territory  might  be  considered  as 
extending  to  the  Pacific;  and  if  one  were  to  consult 
the  old  French  maps  for  confirmation  of  such  an  opin- 
ion, he  would  find  New  France^  to  which  Louisiana 
belonged,  extending  from  ocean  to  ocean.  Yet,  a  per- 
fectly candid  mind  would  ignore  the  authority  of  maps 
drawn  from  rumor  and  imagination,  and  wish  to  found 
an  opinion  upon  facts,  it  was  to  secure  such  facts  and 
to  carry  out,  as  far  as  possible,  the  lately  formed  policy 


EARLY   HISTORY.  25 

of  loading  statesmen,  that  President  Jefferson,  even  be- 
fore the  transfer  of  Louisiana  was  completed,  addressed 
a  confidential  message  to  Congress,  urging  that  means 
should  be  immediately  taken  to  explore  the  sources  of 
the  Missouri  and  the  Platte,  and  to  ascertain  whether 
the  Columbia,  the  Oregon,  the  Colorado,  or  any  other 
river,  offered  a  direct  and  practicable  water -communi- 
cation across  the  continent,  for  purposes  of  commerce. 
The  suggestions  of  the  President  being  approved,  com- 
missions were  issued  to  Captains  Merriwcther  Lewis 
and  William  Clarke  to  perform  this  service.  Captain 
Lewis  made  immediate  preparations,  and,  by  the  time 
that  the  news  of  the  ratification  of  the  treaty  had  been 
received,  was  ready  to  commence  his  journey  to  the 
unknown  West. 

It  was  already  summer  when  this  news  was  received, 
and,  although  the  party  were  ready  to  advance  into 
the  Indian  country,  it  was  too  late  to  accomplish  much 
of  their  journey  before  winter ;  besides  which,  some 
delay  occurring  in  the  surrender  of  the  country  west 
of  the  Mississippi,  the  party  were  not  able  to  cross 
that  river  until  December — in  consequence  of  which 
detention,  the  ascent  of  the  Missouri  could  not  be  un- 
dertaken before  the  middle  of  May,  of  the  following 
year.  The  exploring  party  consisted  of  but  forty-four 
men — an  insignificant  force  to  send  into  an  Indian 
country — yet,  perhaps,  all  the  safer  for  its  insignifi- 
cance. They  had  to  make  the  ascent  against  the  cur- 
rent of  the  Mad  lliver  in  boats,  three  of  which  suf- 
ficed to  accommodate  this  adventurous  expedition.  By 
the  end  of  October,  they  had  arrived  in  the  Mandan 
country,  near  the  forty-eighth  degree  of  latitude,  or 
sixteen  hundred  miles  from  the  Mississippi,  where  they 
made  their  winter  camp.     As  every  school -library  is 

3 


26  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

furnished  with  the  printed  journal  of  Lewis  and  Clarke, 
it  is  unnecessary  to  dwell  upon  the  incidents  of  their 
memorable  journey  across  the  continent.  It  is  only 
with  its  results  that  we  have  to  deal  in  this  sketch. 

One  of  its  results  was  developed  at  this  early  period, 
or  during  their  stay  at  the  Mandan  village:  which  was, 
to  alarm  the  North-west  Fur  Company,  and,  through 
them,  the  English  Government,  as  to  the  designs  of 
the  Americans  concerning  the  northern  coast  of  the 
Pacific.  It  has  been  before  stated,  that  the  North-west 
Company  had  been  compelled  reluctantly  to  resign  the 
posts  along  the  Great  Lakes,  belonging  to  the  United 
States,  after  the  Revolutionary  War.  They  still  con- 
tinued to  hunt  and  trap,  and  had  established  their 
trading-posts  in  all  that  country  lying  about  the  head- 
waters of  the  Mississippi;  and  their  employees  were 
scattered  throughout  the  region  east  of  the  Missouri, 
and  west  of  the  Lakes — even  having  penetrated,  on 
one  occasion,  to  the  foot  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

It  happened  that,  while  Lewis  and  Clarke  were  at 
the  Mandan  villages,  the  fact  of  their  visit,  and  the 
object  of  it,  which  had  been  explained  to  the  Indians, 
were  communicated  to  some  members  of  the  North-west 
Company,  who  had  a  post  about  three  days'  journey 
from  there.  So  much  alarmed  was  Mr.  Chaboillez, 
who  resided  at  this  post,  that  he  wrote  immediately  to 
another  partner,  Mr.  D.  W.  Harmon,  a  native  of  New 
England ;  and,  upon  receiving  a  visit  from  him,  urged 
Mr.  Harmon  to  set  out  in  the  following  spring  upon 
the  same  route  pursued  by  Lewis  and  Clarke,  accom- 
panied by  Indian  guides,  doubtless  with  the  intention 
of  arriving  at  the  head-waters  of  the  Missouri,  in  ad- 
vance of  the  American  expedition ;  but,  in  this  praise- 
worthy strife  for  jDrecedence  they  were  in  this  instance 


EARLY   HISTORY.  27 

defeated — Mr.  Ilarmon  proceeding  no  further  than  the 
Mandan  vilhiges,  while  Lewis  and  Clarke  prosecuted 
their  undertaking  with  diligence,  leaving  the  Mandan 
country  on  the  7th  of  April,  1805,  and  arriving  at  the 
Great  Falls  of  the  Missouri  on  the  13th  of  June.  The 
reader  need  not  be  reminded  of  the  difficulties  attend- 
ing such  a  journey  as  the  one  undertaken  by  our  ex- 
ploring party :  when,  the  course  of  navigation  being  in- 
terrupted, boats  had  to  be  abandoned,  toilsome  portages 
made,  new  boats  constructed,  and  all  the  novel  hard- 
ships of  the  wilderness  endured.  Such  tests  of  cour- 
age have  been  encountered  by  thousands  since  that 
time,  in  the  settlement  of  the  Pacific  Coast;  but  that 
fi\ct  does  not  lessen  the  glory  which  attaches  to  the 
fame  of  the  great  pioneers  commissioned  to  discover 
the  hidden  sources  of  America's  greatest  rivers.  Those 
faithful  services  secured  to  us  inestimable  blessings,  in 
extended  territories,  salubrious  climates,  and  exhaust- 
less  wealth  of  natural  resources. 

Lewis  and  Clarke,  having  re -embarked  m  canoes 
hollowed  out  of  logs,  arrived  at  the  Gate  of  the  Mount- 
ains on  the  19th  of  July,  in  the  very  neighborhood 
where  thousands  of  men  are  to-day  probing  the  earth 
for  her  concealed  treasures  of  gold  and  silver.  Pro- 
ceeding on  to  the  several  forks  of  the  Missouri — the 
Jefferson,  the  Madison,  and  the  Gallatin — and  finding 
themselves  in  the  midst  of  the  mountains,  the  two 
captains  left  a  portion  of  their  men  to  explore  the 
largest  of  these,  while  they,  with  the  remainder  of  the 
party,  pushed  on  through  the  mountains  until  they 
came  to  streams  flowing  toward  the  west.  At  this 
intimation  that  their  labors  were  about  to  be  crowned 
with  success,  they  rejoined  tlieir  party  at  the  head  of 
the  Jefferson  Fork,  and  prepared  for  the  rugged  work 


28  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

of  crossing  that  majestic  range,  now  become  so  familiar. 
Cdncealing  their  goods  and  canoes  in  caches,  after  the 
fashion  of  all  knowing  mountaineers,  and  being  fur- 
nished with  horses  and  guides  by  the  Shoshones,  or 
Snake  Indians,  whose  later  hostility  to  the  whites 
makes  us  wonder  at  their  early  friendship  for  Lewis 
and  Clarke,  the  party  commenced  the  passage  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains  on  the  30th  of  August.  Severe  was 
their  toil,  and  great  were  the  sufferings  they  endured 
from  hunger  and  cold;  but,  at  length,  their  trials 
passed,  they  arrived  at  a  stream  on  which  their  Indian 
guides  allowed  them  to  embark.  This  was  the  Clear- 
water River,  the  banks  of  which  have  since  become 
historic  ground. 

The  party  were  glad  again  to  be  able  to  resume 
water  navigation,  and  hastened  to  build  their  canoes, 
and  place  their  horses  in  charge  of  the  Chopunish,  or 
Nez  Perce  tribe  of  Indians,  whose  extraordinary  fidel- 
ity to  the  treaty  formed  at  that  time  with  Lewis  and 
Clarke  is  one  of  the  wonders  of  history.  On  the  7tli 
of  October,  they  began  to  descend  the  Clearwater,  and 
three  days  later  entered  upon  that  great  branch  of  the 
Columbia,  whose  springs  they  had,  indeed,  tasted  in  the 
mountains,  but  upon  whose  bosom  no  party  of  civilized 
men  had  ever  before  embarked. 

Men  are  apt  to  dwell  with  enthusiasm  upon  the 
pride  of  a  conqueror;  but,  certainl}^,  there  must  be 
that  in  the  exultation  of  a  discoverer,  which  is  far 
more  pure,  elevated,  and  happifying.  To  have  suc- 
ceeded, by  patient  research  and  energetic  toil,  in  secur- 
ing that  which  others  secure  by  blood  and  devastation 
only,  is  justly  a  subject  of  self-congratulation,  as  it  is 
also  deserving  of  praise.  The  choicest  wine,  from  the 
costliest  chalice,  could  hardly  have  been  so  sweet  to 


EARLY   HISTORY.  29 

the  taste  of  our  hardy  exploring  party,  as  the  ice-cold 
draught  of  living  water  dipped  from  the  mountain  res- 
ervoirs whose  streams  "flowed  toward  the  west."  With 
equal  pride  must  they  have  launched  their  frail  canoes 
on  that  river  which  now  bears  the  name  of  the  chief 
of  the  expedition.  As  they  descended  to  the  junction 
with  the  northern  branch,  and  found  themselves  at 
last  fairly  embarked  on  the  main  Columbia,  when  they 
beheld  the  beauty  and  magnitude  of  this  King  of  Riv- 
ers, and  remembered  that  their  errand,  so  successfully 
carried  out,  was  to  find  a  "highway  for  commerce," 
their  toils  and  privations  must  have  appeared  to  them 
rather  in  the  light  of  pleasures  than  of  griefs.  As  the 
first  party  of  white  men  to  pass  through  the  magnifi- 
cent mountain-gap  where  the  great  river  breaks  through 
the  Cascade  Range,  and  to  meet  the  tides  of  the  Pacif- 
ic just  on  the  westward  side,  the  party  of  Lewis  and 
Clarke  have  won,  and  ever  must  retain,  an  honorable 
renown. 

The  voyage  from  this  point  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Columbia  was  soon  accomplished.  On  the  15th  of 
November,  the  expedition  landed  at  Cape  Hancock, 
commonly  called  "Disappointment,"  on  the  north  side 
of  the  river,  having  traveled  a  distance  of  more  than 
four  thousand  miles  from  the  Mississippi  River.  The 
rainy  season,  which  usually  sets  in  about  the  18th  of 
November,  had  already  commenced,  so  that  our  ex- 
plorers had  some  difficulty  in  finding  a  suitable  winter 
camping -ground.  At  first,  they  tried  the  peninsula 
north  of  Cape  Hancock,  but  were  driven  from  their 
ground  by  the  floods.  Then  they  resorted  to  the  south 
side  of  the  river,  somewhat  ffirther  back  from  the 
ocean,  building  a  log  fort  on  a  small  stream  which  is 
still  called   "Lewis  and  Clarke  River."     There  they 


30  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

contrived  to  pass  the  winter  without  actual  starvation, 
though  they  were  often  threatened  with  it,  from  the 
difficulty  of  obtaining  food  at  this  season  of  the  year. 
Game  was  scarce,  except  in  the  coast  mountains,  which 
are  very  rugged  and  thickly  wooded ;  while  fishing  could 
not  be  carried  on  successfully  except  w^ith  other  boats 
than  their  slight  canoes,  which  were  entirely  unfit  for 
the  winter  winds  and  waves  of  the  lower  Columbia. 
The  Indians,  among  whom  the}^  wintered,  called  them- 
selves ''Clatsops,"  and  were  sufficiently  friendly,  but 
had  no  food  to  spare  save  at  the  very  highest  prices. 
The  Chinooks  on  the  north  side  of  the  Columbia,  the 
same  people  Captain  Gray  had  traded  with  thirteen 
years  before,  were  equally  exorbitant  in  their  prices, 
and  exercised  a  monopoly  of  the  necessaries  of  life 
quite  equal  to  that  of  the  most  practiced  extortionists. 

Nothing  could  be  effected  in  the  way  of  explorations 
of  the  country  during  the  winter  of  1805-6,  on  account 
of  the  rains,  which  were  constant  and  excessive;  and 
the  party,  however  unwillingly,  remained  at  Fort  Clat- 
sop until  the  middle  of  March,  going  no  farther  away 
than  to  Cape  Lookout,  about  fifty  miles  down  the  coast. 
As  soon  as  the  rainy  season  had  closed,  Lewis  and 
Clarke  re -embarked  their  men,  and  returned  up  the 
river,  surveying  the  shores  in  their  voyage.  In  this 
passage  they  discovered  the  Cowlitz  River,  the  princi- 
pal tributary  emptying  into  the  Columbia  from  the 
nortli  side  anywhere  west  of  tlie  Cascades.  The  Wal- 
lamet  River  was  also  discovered,  but  remained  unex- 
plored, from  the  anxiety  of  the  expedition  to  return  to 
the  United  States. 

By  the  middle  of  April,  the  party  had  abandoned 
their  canoes  at  the  gap  in  the  Cascade  Mountains, 
wlicre    the  river  forms  dangerous   rapids;   and,  pur- 


EARLY   HISTORY.  31 

chasing  Indian  horses,  continued  the  journey  on  horse- 
back to  the  Nez  Perces  country,  where  these  faithful 
allies  met  them  on  their  return,  not  witli  friendship 
only,  but  with  the  animals  confided  to  their  care  the 
preceding  autumn — an  example  of  Indian  integrity 
worthy  of  mention,  and,  as  it  proved,  indicative  of  a 
character  shown  in  the  events  of  succeeding  years. 

After  crossing  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  Clarke's 
River,  the  two  leaders  of  the  expedition  separated — 
Captain  Lewis  going  northward,  down  the  Clarke  Riv- 
er, and  Captain  Clarke  proceeding  toward  its  source. 
On  the  12th  of  August,  the  two  captains  met  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Yellowstone,  having  explored  that  riv- 
er, as  well  as  the  Clarke,  and  traversed  a  great  extent 
of  country  then  unknown  to  white  men,  but  where 
white  men,  to-day,  are  suffering  the  flushes  and  the 
rigors  of  that  most  infectious  and  fatal  complaint — 
the  gold-fever — ^^in  the  Territory  of  Montana. 

At  about  the  mouth  of  the  Maria  River,  Captain 
Lewis  had  an  encounter  with  the  Blackfeet,  the  most 
savage  and  dreaded  of  the  mountain  tribes.  In  this 
conflict  one  of  the  Indians  was  killed,  which  caused 
the  others  to  desist  at  that  time ;  yet,  no  doubt,  many 
a  white  man's  scalp  has  been  taken  in  revenge,  accord- 
ing to  savage  custom — and  the  wonder  still  remains 
that  the  party  escaped  alive  out  of  the  countr3^ 

After  re -uniting  their  forces — their  mission  being 
accomplished — the  expedition  once  more  embarked 
on  the  Missouri  River,  and  arrived  at  &t.  Louis  Sep- 
tember 2Dd,  having  traveled  in  less  than  three  years, 
by  canoe  and  saddle,  carrying  their  own  supplies,  more 
than  nine  thousand  miles. 

Of  the  results  of  the  expedition  of  Lewis  and  Clarke, 
it  ma}^  be  said,  that  it  was  the  first  great  act,  wisely 


32  OREGON   AND    WASHINGTON. 

conceived  and  well  executed,  which  secured  the  Ore- 
gon territory  to  the  United  States.  It  was  the  begin- 
ning, too,  of  a  struggle  for  possession  between  this 
country  and  Great  Britain,  dating  from  the  meeting  of 
the  North' west  Company's  men  with  the  men  of  the 
American  expedition  at  the  Mandan  villages.  Happily, 
all  these  struggles  for  precedence  are  matters  of  past 
history  now;  and,  to-day,  both  English  and  American 
citizens  seek  and  find  homes  on  Oregon  soil,  where, 
according  to  a  wise  act  of  Congress,  one  may  be  had 
for  the  taking. 

The  first  attempt  that  was  made  to  form  a  settlement 
on  the  Columbia  River  was  by  the  Winship  brothers, 
in  ISIO.  On  the  7th  of  July,  1809,  there  sailed  from 
Boston  two  ships — the  O'Ca'ui,  Captain  Jonathan  Win- 
ship,  and  the  Albatross,  Captain  Xathan  Winship.  The 
GCain  proceeded  direct  to  California,  to  trade  out  a 
cargo  of  goods  with  the  padres  of  the  Missions,  and 
their  converts;  and  the  Albatross  sailed  for  the  Sand- 
wich Islands,  with  twenty -five  persons  on  board.  At 
the  Islands  she  provisioned,  and  took  on  board  twenty- 
five  more  men,  leaving  port  for  the  Columbia,  March 
25th,  1810. 

Arriving  in  the  river  early  in  the  spring.  Captain 
Winship  cruised  along  up,  for  ten  days,  finally  select- 
ing a  site  on  the  south  side,  about  forty  miles  from  its 
mouth,  and  opposite  the  place  now  known  as  "Oak 
Point,"  though  its  name  is  borrowed  from  Captain 
Winsliip's  place.  Here  he  commenced  founding  an 
establishment,  and,  for  a  time,  every  thing  progressed 
satisfactorily.  A  tract  of  ground,  being  cleared,  was 
planted  with  vegetables;  a  building  was  erected;  and, 
wliile  the  river  banks  were  gay  with  the  blossoming 
shrubbery  of  early  summer,  our  captain  and  his  fifty 


EARLY   HISTORY.  33 

workmen  rejoiced  in  the  promise  of  a  speedy  consum- 
mation of  their  plans  of  colonization.  Their  hopes, 
however,  were  soon  overthrown  by  an  unlooked-for 
occurrence;  and  the  daring  pioneers,  who  feared  the 
face  of  neither  man  nor  beast  in  all  that  wilderness, 
found  themselves  confronted  with  an  adversary  against 
which  it  was  useless  to  contend.  The  snows  had  melt- 
ed in  the  mountains  a  thousand  miles  eastward,  and 
the  summer  flood  came  down  upon  their  new  planta- 
tion, washing  the  seeds  out  of  the  earth  and  covering 
the  floors  of  their  houses  two  feet  deep  with  water — 
demonstrating  conclusively  the  unfitness  of  the  site 
selected  for  their  settlement. 

Without  doubt,  this  company  of  adventurers  -were 
by  turns  wroth  and  sorrowful.  Their  seeds  were  lost; 
their  residences  made  uninhabitable,  even  had  they 
desired  to  remain,  which  they  did  not.  Captain  Win- 
ship  at  once  re -embarked  his  men,  and  sailed  for  Cal- 
ifornia to  consult  with  his  brother.  Here  he  was  met 
by  the  intelligence  of  the  formation  of  the  Pacific  Fur 
Company,  with  John  Jacob  Astor  at  its  head,  and  the 
intention  of  this  company  to  occupy  the  Columbia 
River.  Competition  witli  so  powerful  an  association 
was  not  to  be  thought  of,  and  the  brothers  Winship 
abandoned  their  enterprise.  As  men  of  large  ideas 
and  fearless  action,  they  should  be  remembered  in 
connection  with  the  history  of  the  Columbia  River. 

In  March  of  the  following  year,  that  portion  of  Mr. 
Aster's  expedition  which  was  to  come  by  sea,  did  ar- 
rive on  the  Columbia — not,  however,  without  the  loss 
of  eight  men  on  the  bar,  through  the  impatience  and 
overbearing  temper  of  the  commander  of"  the  Tonqiim, 
Captain  Thorne.  Subsequently,  the  Indians  of  the 
Straits  of  Fuca  destroyed  the  Tonquin,  massacring  all 


34  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

her  ofScers  and  crew,  twenty -three  in  number.  The 
land  expedition  suffered  incredible  hardships:  supply 
vessels  failed  to  arrive;  war  with  Great  Britain  broke 
outj  preventing  Mr.  Astor  from  carrying  out  his  plans; 
the  Canadian  partners  took  advantage  of  the  situation 
to  betray  Mr.  Aster's  interests;  and,  after  two  years  of 
hope  deferred,  the  establishment  at  Astoria  was  sold 
out  to  a  British  company,  and  the  enterprise  aban- 
doned— the  place  having  been  "captured"  by  the 
British. 

After  the  close  of  the  war  of  1812,  Astoria  was  re- 
stored to  the  United  States,  and  Mr.  Astor  would  have 
renewed  his  enterprise,  notwithstanding  his  heavy 
losses,  had  Congress  guaranteed  him  protection,  and 
lent  its  aid ;  but  the  Government  pursued  a  cautious 
policy  at  this  time,  and  the  Oregon  territory  remained 
in  the  hands  of  the  British  fur  traders  exclusively  for 
the  twenty  j^ears  following,  notwithstanding  a  treaty 
of  joint  occupation c 

To  follow  the  chain  of  events,  and  record  the  inci- 
dents of  a  long  struggle  between  Great  Britain  and 
the  United  States  to  substantiate  a  claim  to  Oregon, 
is  the  work  of  tlie  historian.  Enough  for  us,  that  we 
know  which  claim  prevailed;  and  we  shall  jDroceed 
to  the  more  congenial  contemplation  of  the  physical 
features  which  the  country  presents,  touching  lightly 
now  and  then  upon  its  history,  as  tourists  may. 


CHArTER  in. 

ABOUT  THE  MOUTH  OF  THE  COLUMBIA. 

Where  the  Columbia  meets  the  sea,  in  an  ahnost 
continuous  line  of  surf,  is  some  distance  outside  the 
capes ;  but  from  the  one  to  the  other  of  these — that  is, 
from  Cape  Ilancock  to  Point  Adams — is  seven  miles. 
Should  the  sea  be  calm  on  making  the  entrance,  noth- 
ing more  than  a  long,  white  line  will  indicate  the  bar. 
If  the  wind  be  fresh,  the  surf  will  dash  up  handsomely; 
and  if  it  be  stormy,  great  walls  of  foam  will  rear  them- 
selves threateningly  on  either  side,  and  your  breath 
will  be  abated  while  the  quivering  ship,  with  a  most 
"uneasy  motion,"  plunges  into  the  thick  of  it,  dashes 
through  the  white -crested  tumult,  and  emerges  tri- 
umphantly upon  the  smooth  bosom  of  the  river. 

Of  the  two  channels,  the  south  is  most  used.  Should 
you  happen  to  go  in. by  the  north  one,  you  will  find 
yourself  pretty  close  under  a  handsome  promontory, 
with  a  white  tower,  in  which  a  first-class  Fresnel-light 
is  burning  from  sunset  to  sunrise,  all  the  year  round. 
This  promontory  is  the  Cape  Ilancock  of  Captain  Gray 
and  the  United  States  Government,  and  the  Cape  Dis- 
appointment of  the  English  navigators  and  of  common 
usage,  since  the  long  residence  in  the  country  of  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company. 

The  steamers  of  the  North  Pacific  Transportation 
Company  will  not  land  you  before  reaching  Astoria,  a 
dozen  miles  inside  the  bar.    But,  for  this  once,  we  will 


36  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

''subsidize"  our  captain  with  many  fair  words,  and  per- 
suade him  to  send  us  ashore  in  a  ship's  boat,  that  we 
may  miss  nothing  in  our  voyage  up  this  river  we  have 
come  a  long  way  to  see. 

As  we  round  the  base  of  the  cape,  we  find  ourselves 
in  a  pretty  little  harbor  called  Baker's  Ba}^,  with  an 
island  or  two  in  it,  and  surrounded  by  heights  of  slop- 
ing ground  covered  with  a  dense  growth  of  spruce,  fir, 
and  hemlock,  with  many  varieties  of  lesser  trees  and 
shrubs.  Along  the  strip  of  low  land,  crescent-shaped 
and  edged  with  a  sandy  beach,  are  the  oiB.cers'  quarters 
and  soldiers'  barracks ;  for  the  cape  has  been  fortified, 
and  has  three  powerful  batteries  on  the  channel  side. 
Nearest  of  all  is  the  residence  of  the  light-house  keeper 
— a  modest  mansion  under  the  shelter  of  the  cape. 

At  this  place  wo  will  call  and  get  our  bearings.  We 
wish  to  pay  our  respects  to  the  post-commander,  and 
have  the  quarters  pointed  out  to  us.  That  formality — 
a  very  pleasant  one — disposed  of,  we  gladly  accept  a 
proffered  escort  to  the  fortifications.  If  the  day  be 
warm,  we  take  the  path  through  the  thick  woods,  wind- 
ing around  and  about  up  to  the  top  of  the  promon- 
tory. What  fine  trees!  What  a  dense  and  luxuriant 
undergrowth ! 

Sauntering,  pulling  ferns  and  wild  vines,  exclaiming 
at  the  shadows,  the  coolness,  the  magnificence  of  the 
forests,  we  come  at  last  to  the  summit,  and  emerge 
into  open  ground.  Here  all  is  military  precision  .and 
neatness:  graveled  walks,  grassy  slopes  and  terraces, 
whitened  walls.  As  for  the  guns  and  earth-works,  they 
are  of  the  first  order.  When  we  have  done  with  these, 
we  turn  eagerly  to  gaze  at  the  sea;  to  watcli  the  rest- 
less surf  dashing  itself  against  the  bar;  to  catch  that 
wonderful  monotone — ''ever,  forever." 


ABOUT   THE   IsrOUTH    OF   THE    COLmfBIA.  37 

The  fascination  of  looking  and  listening  would  keep 
us  long  spell-bound;  but  our  escort,  who  understands 
the  symptoms,  politely  compels  us  "to  move  on,"  and 
directly — very  opportunely — we  are  confronted  with 
the  light-house  keeper,  who  offers  to  show  us  his  tower 
and  light.  Clambering  up  and  up,  at  last  we  stand 
within  the  great  lantern,  with  its  intense  reflections; 
and  hear  all  about  the  life  of  its  keeper — how  he 
scours  and  polishes  by  day,  and  tends  the  burning  oil 
by  night.  When  we  ask  him  if  the  storm-winds  do 
not  threaten  his  tower,  he  shakes  his  head  and  smiles, 
and  says,  it  is  an  "eerie"  place  up  there  when  the  sou'- 
westers  are  blowing.  But,  somehow,  he  likes  it;  he 
would  not  like  to  leave  his  place  for  another. 

Then  we  clim.b  a  little  higher,  going  out  upon  the 
iron  balcony,  where  the  keeper  stands  to  do  his  out- 
side polishing  of  the  glass.  The  view  is  grand;  but 
what  charms  us  most,  is  a  miniature  landscape  reflect- 
ed in  one  of  the  facets  of  the  lantern.  It  is  a  com- 
plete copy  of  the  north-western  shore  of  the  cape, 
a  hundred  times  more  perfect  and  beautiful  than  a 
painter  could  make  it,  with  the  features  of  a  score 
of  rods  concentrated  into  a  picture  of  a  dozen  inches 
in  diameter,  with  the  real  life,  and  motion,  and  atmos- 
phere of  Nature  in  it.  While  you  gaze  enchanted,  the 
surf  creeps  up  the  sandy  beach,  the  sea-birds  circle 
'about  the  rocks,  the  giant  firs  move  gently  in  the 
breeze,  shadows  flit  over  the  sea,  a  cloud  moves  in  the 
sky;  in  short,  it  is  the  loveliest  picture  jJ'our  eyes  ever 
rested  on. 

The  friendly  keeper  explains  to  you,  as  you  turn  to 
look  up  the  coast,  that  the  beach  north  of  the  cape 
extends,  in  one  unbroken  level,  about  twenty  miles; 
and  that  it  is  a  long,  narrow  neck,  divided  from  the 


:u  r-M^^^ 


38  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

main-land  by  an  arm  of  Shoalwater  Bay,  extending  al- 
most down  to  the  light-house.  A  splendid  drive  down 
from  the  bay!  It  is  in  the  sandy  marshes  up  along 
this  arm  of  Shoalwater  Bay,  too,  that  we  may  go  to 
find  cranberries. 

When  we  ask,  ''What  does  he  do  when  the  thick  fogs 
hang  over  the  coast?"  he  shows  us  a  great  bell,  which, 
when  the  machinery  is  wound  up,  tolls,  tolls,  tolls, 
solemnly  in  the  darkness,  to  warn  vessels  off  the  coast. 
"But,"  he  says,  "it  is  not  large  enough,  and  can  not 
be  heard  any  great  distance.  Vessels  usually  keep 
out  to  sea  in  a  fog,  and  ring  their  own  bells  to  keep 
off"  other  vessels." 

Then  he  shows  us,  at  our  request,  Peacock  Spit, 
where  the  United  States  vessel  of  that  name  was 
wrecked,  in  1841;  and  the  South  Spit,  nearly  two 
miles  outside  the  cape,  where  the  Shark,  another 
United  States  vessel,  was  lost  in  1846.  The  bones  of 
many  a  gallant  sailor,  and  many  a  noble  ship,  are  laid 
on  the  sands,  not  half  a  dozen  miles  from  the  spot 
where  we  now  stand  and  look  at  a  tranquil  ocean. 
Nor  was  it  in  storms  that  these  shipping  disasters 
happened.  It  was  the  treacherous  calm  that  met  them 
on  the  bar,  when  the  current  or  the  tide  carried  them 
upon  the  sands,  where  they  lay  helpless  until  the 
flood -tide  met  the  current,  and  the.  ship  was  broken 
up  in  the  breakers.  Pilotage  and  steam  have  done 
away  with  shipwrecks  on  the  bar. 

We  are  glad  to  think  that  it  is  so.  Having  exhausted 
local  topics  for  conversation,  we  descend  the  winding 
stairs,  which  remind  us  of  those  in  the  "  Spider  and 
the  Fly"  —  so  hard  are  they  to  "come  down  again.'" 
How  still  and  warm  it  is  down  under  the  shelter  of  the 
earth- works!     Descending  by  the  military  road,  which 


ABOUT   THE   MOUTH   OF   THE    COLUJfBIA.  30 

is  shorter  than  the  one  we  came  by,  we  come  out  near 
the  life-boat  house,  and,  being  invited,  go  in  to  look  at 
it.  It  seems  well  furnished  and  commodious,  and  wo 
are  told  it  is  safe,  but,  happily,  has  seldom  been  needed. 
Lastly,  we  take  a  look  at  the  fishing-tackle,  witli  which 
the  light- house  keeper  goes  out  to  troll  for  salmon. 
Glorious  sport !  The  great,  delicious  fellows,  to  be 
caught  by  a  fly!  But  we,  humans,  need  not  sermonize 
about  being  taken  by  small  bait! 

Baker's  Bay  is  not  without  its  little  history;  albeit, 
it  is  nothing  romantic.  In  1850,  a  company  conceived 
tlie  plan  of  building  up  a  city,  under  shelter  of  the  cape, 
and  expended  a  hundred  thousand  dollars,  more  or  less, 
before  they  became  aware  of  the  fruitlessness  of  their 
imdcrtaking.  By  mistake,  portions  of  their  improve- 
ments were  placed  on  the  Government  Reserve,  to 
which,  of  course,  they  could  have  no  title.  Yet,  this 
•error,  although  a  hinderance,  was  not  the  real  cause  of 
the  company's  failure,  which  was  founded  in  the  ineli- 
gibility of  the  situation  for  a  town  of  importance. 
Nothing  remains  of  the  buildings  there  erected,  their 
sites  being  already  grown  over  with  a  3'oung  forest  of 
alders,  spruce,  and  hemlock. 

There  being  nothing  more  of  interest  to  be  seen  at 
the  cape,  we  take  the  little  steamer  XT.  8.  Grants  which 
has  run  over  from  Astoria  with  the  mail  for  the  garri- 
son, for  Point  Adams  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  riv- 
er. The  wind  has  freshened,  and  the  steamer  rolls  a 
good  deal,  the  river  here  feeling  the  ocean- breezes 
very  sensibly.  Such  is  its  expanse,  that,  although  our 
course  brings  us  off  Chinook  Point,  we  have  but  an  in- 
distinct view  of  it.  Not  as  it  was  seventy  years  ago  —  a 
populous  Indian  village ;  the  dwellings  of  white  settlers 
are  now  overshadowing  the  ancient  wigwams.    Even  its 


40  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

burial-ground — its  memelose  illihee,  or  "land  of  spirits" 
— is  profaned.  Alas!  nothing  of  one  race  is  sacred  to 
another ;  leastof  all,  are  the  poor  Indians'  bones  sacred 
to  white  men. 

Several  localities  are  pointed  out  to  us,  while  we  cross 
the  river;  but,  at  this  distance,  we  can  not  see  much 
more  than  that  to  the  north  of  us  is  a  range  of  high, 
wooded  bluffs,  with  a  narrow  strip  of  level  ground 
along  the  river,  more  or  less  inhabited.  That  which 
does  attract  our  attention  is  Sand  Island,  close  to  which 
we  pass.  It  is  scarcely  above  the  level  of  the  water, 
at  mean  tide,  and  presents  a  waste  of  sand,  in  which  a 
few  dead  trees  are  embedded.  It  is  fringed  with  a 
colony  of  eagles,  who  sit  motionless,  but  keen -eyed, 
watching  for  their  prey — their  pre-emptive  title  being 
disputed  only  by  a  shoal  of  seals,  whose  antics  furnish 
a  pleasing  contrast  to  the  gravit}^  of  their  feathered 
rivals.  In  little  more  than  half  an  hour,  we  are  landed 
at  Fort  Stevens,  on  Point  Adams. 

There  is  nothing  handsome  in  the  situation  of  Fort 
Stevens.  It  occupies  a  low,  sandy  plain,  and  is  just  a 
little  inside  of  the  actual  point  of  this  cape;  but  the 
fort  itself  is  one  of  the  strongest  and  best- armed  on 
the  Pacific  Coast.  Its  shape  is  a  nonagon,  surrounded 
by  a  ditch,  thirty  feet  wide.  Tliis  ditch  is  again  sur- 
rounded by  earth -works,  intended  to  protect  the  wall 
of  the  fort,  from  which  rise  the  earth -works  support- 
ing the  ordnance.  Viewed  from  the  outside,  nothing 
is  seen  but  the  gently  inclined  banks  of  earth,  smooth- 
ly sodded.  The  officers'  quarters,  outside  the  fort,  are 
very  pleasant;  and,  althougli  there  is  nothing  attractive 
in  the  appearance  of  the  fort,  or  its  surroundings,  it  is 
a  pleasant  enough  place  to  those  who  have  the  good 
fortune  to  have  the  entree  of  its  society. 


ABOUT  THE  MOUTH  OF  THE  COLUMBIA.       41 

The  view  from  the  embankment  is  extensive,  com- 
manding the  entrance  to  the  river,  the  opposite  forti- 
fications, and  the  handsome  highlands  of  the  north 
side,  as  well  as  a  portion  of  Young's  Bay.  A  system 
of  signals  is  established  between  the  two  forts,  and 
signal  -  practice  is  made  a  portion  of  the  daily  duty  of 
the  officers.  Standing  on  this  eminence,  our  curiosity 
is  excited,  to  know  why  a  certain  small  sailing-craft 
keeps  anchored  out  near  the  bar,  and  are  told  that  it 
belongs  to  the  United  States  Surveying  Service,  and 
that  its  business  is  to  observe  the  tides  and  currents 
on  this  station. 

Point  Adams  is  the  northern  projection  of  a  sandy 
peninsula,  formed  by  the  Pacific  Ocean  and  Young's 
Bay.  It  is  a  narrow  neck  of  sand  -  ridges,  or  irregular 
sand-hills,  interspersed  with  ponds  and  swamps,  and 
thickly  overgrown  with  spruce,  hemlock,  and  other 
trees  of  similar  species.  Where  the  trees  have  been 
cleared  away,  thickets  of  wild  roses,  willows,  and  sjpircea 
have  sprung  up,  covering  the  ground. 

Below  this  swampy  point,  the  sand -ridges  continue 
for  sixteen  miles  to  Tillamook  Head,  a  promontory 
four  or  five  hundred  feet  in  height.  A  species  of 
wild  clover  grows  in  the  sand,  flourishing  until  mid- 
summer, when  it- is  succeeded  by  a  good  crop  of  grass. 
Tlie  wild  strawberry  grows  finel}^  here ;  and,  wherever 
cultiv^ated,  vegetables  do  well.  This  narrow  sand -belt 
is  known  by  the  name  of  Clatsop  Plains,  and  is  no- 
where more  than  a  mile  in  width.  Back  of  it,  toward 
Young's  Bay  and  Skippanon  Creek,  the  land  is  heav- 
ily timbered,  the  timber  extending  back  to  the  Coast 
Mountains. 

Clatsop  Plains,  and  all  the  level  country  between 
i 


42  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

them  and  the  Coast  Range,  together  form  the  county 
of  that  name.  It  is  famous  for  its  dairies,  its  straw- 
berries, its  vegetables,  but,  most  of  all,  for  its  sea- 
bathing. Xo  one  is  presumed  to  be  in  the  fashion, 
who  has  not  been  to  Clatsop  Beach :  therefore,  to  Clat- 
sop we  are  going — have  gone.  We  like  the  place, 
though  it  is  as  little  like  Newport  or  Long  Branch 
as  possible,  having  for  an  hotel  a  one -storied  wooden 
building,  brilliant  externally  with  whitewash,  inter- 
nally not  brilliant  at  all,  nor  elegantly  furnished,  being 
the  residence  of  a  family  of  French  half-  breeds.  The 
cuisine  is  all  that  a  Frenchman  could  desire ;  but  the 
house  and  grounds  are  decidedly  of  a  by -gone  order 
of  architecture  and  arrangement.  When  the  house  is 
overrun  with  visitors,  the  later  comers  are  domiciled 
in  tents.  Perhaps  it  is  this  very  lack  of  conventional 
luxury  which  makes  the  place  popular;  for  it  never  is 
deserted  during  the  warm  season,  but  every  year  in- 
creases the  number  of  its  visitors.  Sea -air,  bathing, 
riding,  hunting,  good  living,  and  the  absence  of  those 
usual  conventionalities  which  make  life  refined  and 
monotonous,  continue  to  "draw"  more  and  more 
largely,  so  that  shortly  some  sharp  -  sighted  party  will 
be  found  erecting  the  hotels  and  cottages  of  a  crowd- 
ed watering-place. 

There  are  certainly  here  many  attractions  lacking 
inmost  sea-bathing  resorts:  a  trout- stream,  a  forest 
for  hunting  in,  whei'e  any  thmg  may  be  found,  from  a 
deer  to  an  elk,  or  a  bear.  Geese,  ducks,  plover,  and 
snipe  frequent  the  mouth  of  the  creek,  while  sea-gulls, 
cranes,  and  eagles  give  picturesqucness  to  the  beach- 
views.  Three  or  four  miles  to  the  east,  the  peaks  of 
the  Coast  Range  fret  the  blue  of  the  summer  sky,  a 
spur  from  which  range  comes  down  quite  to  the  sea, 


ABOUT  THE  MOUTH  OP  THE  COLUMBIA.       43 

in  a  bold  promontory  called  Tillamook  Head,  closing 
in  the  southern  view. 

Having  taken  in  all  these  features  of  tlie  place,  and 
pronounced  it  good,  let  us  take  the  light  wagon,  and, 
driving  across  the  plain  and  through  the  woods  nearly 
sixteen  miles,  find  the  Grant — ubiquitous  little  steam- 
er— waiting  for  us  in  Young's  Bay.  As  we  steam 
toward  Astoria,  the  accomplished  Captain  of  the  Grant 
— the  first  white  male  child  born  west  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains — becomes  our  guide,  and  points  out  the 
mouth  of  Lewis  and  Clarke's  River,  on  the  south  side 
of  the  bay,  where  those  hardy  explorers  spent  the 
winter  of  1805-G  in  a  log -hut,  to  which  the  severe 
rains  confined  them  nearly  all  those  dreary  months, 
in  imminent  danger  of  starving.  Not  only  have  sixty 
years  effaced  all  traces  of  their  encampment,  but  a 
house,  which  stood  on  the  same  site  in  1853,  has 
quite  disappeared,  the  site  being  overgrown  with  trees 
now  twenty  feet  in  height.  Of  a  saw -mill  that  fur- 
nished lumber  to  San  Francisco,  in  the  same  3'ear, 
nothing  now  remains  except  immense  beds  of  half- 
rotted  sawdust,  embedding  one  or  two  charred  foun- 
dation timbers.  A  dense  growth  of  vegetation  covers 
the  wholo  ground. 

At  the  eastern  extremity  of  the  bay  is  the  mouth 
of  Young's  River,  a  handsome  stream,  with  densely 
wooded  shores,  and  a  fall,  at  one  place,  of  fifty  feet 
perpendicular,  furnishing  one  of  the  attractions  to 
boating  parties  of  summer  visitors  at  Astoria. 

From  the  deck  of  the  steamer  we  have  a  fine  view 
of  the  Coast  Range,  and  of  one  double  peak  higher 
than  the  range,  which  goes  by  the  ugly  misnomer  of 
Saddle  Mountain.  Not  snow-capped  in  summer,  it  is 
still  very  lofty  and  very  picturesque,  reminding  us  of 


44  OREGON  AND  WASHINGTON. 

"castled  crags  of  Drachenfels."  We,  for  our  private 
satisfaction,  name  it  Castle  Mountain,  and  try  to  for- 
get that  it  has  another  name. 

As  we  round  the  high,  wooded  point  which  hides 
Astoria  from  sight,  as  it  must,  also,  shelter  it  from 
south-west  storms,  we  observe  that  the  banks  are 
covered  with  a  most  luxuriant  growth  of  shrubs  of 
many  varieties,  and  promise  ourselves  a  ramble  along 
a  just  visible  "trail"  at  an  early  day,  in  order  to  as- 
certain whether  or  not  they  are  as  beautiful  close  at 
hand,  as  they  are  in  the  distance. 

Our  eyes  are  engaged,  in  another  moment,  with 
some  glimpses  of  our  destined  port.  Very  shortly,  the 
Grant  comes  alongside  a  great  wharf,  and  seeking  her 
own  slip,  makes  fast;  and,  the  tide  being  out,  we  clam- 
ber up  cautiously  a  steep  incline,  to  the  level  of  the 
Astorians. 


CHAPTER    lY. 

ASTORIA    AND    ITS   SURROUNDINGS. 

The  situation  of  Astoria,  in  point  of  beauty,  is  cer- 
tainly a  very  fine  one.  The  neck  of  land  occupied  by 
the  town,  is  made  a  peninsula  by  Young's  Bay  on  one 
side  and  the  Columbia  River  on  the  other,  and  points 
to  the  north-west.  A  small  cove  makes  in  at  the  east 
side  of  the  neck,  just  back  of  which  the  ground  rises 
much  more  gently  and  smoothly  than  it  does  a  little 
farther  toward  the  sea.  The  whole  point  was  origi- 
nally covered  with  heavy  timber,  which  came  quite 
down  to  high -water  mark;  and  whatever  there  is  un- 
lovely in  the  present  aspect  of  Astoria,  arises  from  the 
roughness  always  attendant  upon  the  clearing  up  of 
timbered  lands. 

Standing,  facing  the  sea  or  the  river,  with  your  back 
to  half- cleared  lots,  made  unsightly  by  the  blackened 
stumps  of  trees,  the  view  is  one  of  unsurpassed  beau- 
ty. Toward  the  sea,  the  low,  green  point  on  which 
Fort  Stevens  stands — the  Capo  Frondosa  (leafy  cape) 
of  the  Spanish  navigators — and  the  high  one  of  Cape 
Hancock,  topped  by  the  light -house  tower,  mark  the 
entrance  to  the  river.  Above  them  is  a  blue  sky; 
between  them,  a  blue  river,  celebrating  eternally  its 
union  with  the  sea  by  the  roar  of  its  breakers,  whose 
white  crests  are  often  distinctly  visible.  There  is  a 
sail  or  two  in  the  offing,  and  a  pilot -boat  going  out  to 
bring  them  over  the  bar. 


46  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

Opposite  US,  and  distant  between  three  and  four 
miles,  is  the  northern  shore — a  line  of  rounded  high- 
lands, covered  with  trees,  with  a  narrow,  low,  and 
level  strip  of  land  between  them  and  the  beach.  The 
village  of  Chinook  is  a  little  to  the  north-west ;  anoth- 
er village,  Knappton,  a  little  to  the  north-east.  Fol- 
lowing the  opposite  shore -line  with  the  eye,  as  far  to 
the  east  as  the  view  extends,  a  considerable  indenta-"' 
tion  in  the  shore  marks  Gray's  Bay,  where  the  discov- 
erer of  the  river  went  ashore  with  his  mate,  to  "view 
the  country." 

On  the  Astoria  side  the  shore  curves  beautifully,  in 
a  north-east  direction,  quite  to  Tongue  Point,  four 
miles  up  the  river.  This,  point  is  one  of  the  hand- 
somest projections  on  the  river.  Connected  with  the 
main -land  by  a  low,  narrow  isthmus,  it  rises  gradually 
to  the  height  of  fifty  or  sixty  feet,  and  is  crowned  with 
a  splendid  growth  of  trees.  In  the  little  bay  formed 
by  Tongue  Point,  lies  the  hulk  of  a  vessel — a  memen- 
to of  the  exciting  times  of  1849,  when  lumber  was 
worth,  in  San  Francisco,  six  hundred  dollars  a  thou- 
sand feet. 

The  ship  Silvie  de  Grace  had  come  to  Oregon  for  a 
cargo  of  the  precious  material,  and  proceeded  as  far 
as  this  on  her  return-voyage,  when,  through  ignorance 
or  mismanagement,  she  was  allowed  to  strike  on  a 
rock,  with  such  force  that  she  was  actually  spitted, 
and  never  could  be  got  off,  even  to  sink.  So  she  lies 
a  dismantled  hulk  in  this  pretty  cove,  not  unpictur- 
csque,  with  her  handsomely  modeled  deck  half- over- 
grown with  grass  and  shrubs,  and  the  headless  figure 
of  a  woman  ''to  the  fore." 

Between  Tongue  Point  and  tlie  present  town  is  a 
cluster  of  rather  dilapidated  buildings,  known  as  Up- 


ASTORIA    AND   ITS   SURROUNDINGS.  '        4/ 

per  Astoria.  They  were  erected  by  the  first  Receiver 
of  Customs  for  Oregon;  but  the  old  custom-house 
and  wharf  are  rapidly  going  to  decay.  Directly  back 
of  this  place,  begins  a  "military  road"  to  the  State 
Capital,  on  which  was  supposed  to  be  expended,  in 
the  years  ]855-G,  an  appropriation  of  $80,000.  It 
was  never  fit  for  use,  and  is  now  quite  choked  up  with 
''fallen  timber  and  a  now  growth  of  trees. 

Following  the  curving  and  beautifully  wooded  shore 
back  to  the  Astoria  of  to-day,  we  naturally  inquire  for 
the  site  of  the  Astor  establishment  of  1811.  This  is 
it,  just  back  of  the  little  bay  before  mentioned,  where 
you  see  a  long,  one -storied  house  in  a  state  of  decay. 
There  was  built  the  fort  of  Mr.  Aster's  company.  It 
consisted  of  a  square,  inclosing  ninety  by  a  hundred 
feet  of  ground,  with  palisades  in  front  and  rear,  one 
of  the  sides  protected  by  the  warehouse  fronting  on 
a  ravine,  and  the  other  by  the  dwelling-house  and 
shops,  with  a  bastion  at  each  corner,  north  and  south, 
on  which  were  mounted  four  small  cannon.  As  all 
the  buildings  were  constructed  of  hewn  logs,  roofed 
with  cedar -bark,  they  constituted  a  very  good  defense 
against  the  Indian  arrows,  especiall}^  as  they  were 
made  formidable  by  the  four  small  cannon. 

On  the  2Gth  of  September,  1811,  the  buildings  in- 
side the  fort  were  completed.  The  dwelling-house 
contained  a  sitting-room  and  dining-room,  with  sleep- 
ing apartments  for  the  officers  and  men.  The  ware- 
house and  smiths'  shops  were  also  there  ready  for 
occupation.  In  the  following  year  a  hospital  was 
erected;  and  these  constituted  the  improvements  of 
the  Pacific  I'ur  Company,  if  we  except  their  garden, 
where  nothing  came  to  maturity  the  first  year,  except 
the  radishes,  turnips,  and  potatoes. 


48  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

In  the  cove,  in  front  of  the  fort,  was  built  the  first 
vessel  ever  launched  on  Oregon  waters — the  little 
schooner  Dolhj,  whose  frame  was  brought  out  from 
New  York  in  the  Tonquin.  She  proved  too  small  for 
the  coasting  service,  for  which  she  was  intended,  and, 
like  every  thing  else  connected  with  this  ill-starred 
enterprise,  a  failure. 

In  1813  the  Astoria  of  the  Pacific  Fur  Compan}^ 
passed  into  the  hands  of  the  North-west  Fur  Com- 
pany, by  whom  it  was  re-named  Fort  George.  After- 
ward it  passed  to  the  Hudson's  Bay  Compan)'-,  and 
was  known  as  Fort  George,  until  it  was  abandoned  by 
them,  and  came  once  more  into  American  possession, 
when  it  resumed  its  original  name.  Such  are  the 
changes  of  sixty  years.  Nothing  now  remains  to  re- 
mind us  of  these  events  in  history,  except  some  slight 
indentations  in  the  ground  where  were  once  the  cel- 
lars of  the  now  vanished  fort,  and  a  few  graves.  Per- 
haps the  only  enduring  memorial  is  the  smooth  turf 
and  fine  grass  of  civilization,  which  Time  does  not 
eradicate,  and  which  grows  here  in  strong  contrast 
to  the  rank,  wild  grasses  of  the  uncultivated  country. 

If  we  turn  to  the  modern  town,  we  fmd  it  neatly 
built,  and  containing  four  or  five  hundred  inhabitants. 
The  chief  improvement  going  on  at  present,  is  the 
new  custom-house — a  costly,  but  ill-looking  structure, 
built  of  sandstone  from  the  opposite  side  of  the 
river.  The  present  custom-house  is  a  wooden  build- 
ing near  the  river,  occupying  the  ground  chosen  by 
the  officers  and  men  of  the  United  States  schooner 
Shark,  to  erect  their  temporary  shelter  upon,  after  the 
wreck  on  the  bar,  in  184G.  From  drift-wood  and 
cedar  planks  they  constructed  a  substantial  house, 
which,  afterwards,  was  turned  to  account  by  others  in 


ASTORIA   AND   ITS   SURROUNDINGS.  49 

almost  equal  straits.  One  of  its  last  and  best  uses 
was  as  a  ball-room,  where,  on  the  Fourth  of  July, 
1849,  the  gold-seekers  on  their  way  to  California,  and 
a  company  of  United  States  artillery  -  men,  celebrated 
the  day  with  patriotic  enthusiasm. 

Even  as  late  as  that  year,  the  canoes  of  eight  hun- 
dred native  warriors  of  the  Chinooks  covered  the 
water  in  Astor  Bay,  curious,  as  savages  always  are,  to 
watch  the  acts,  and  note  the  customs,  of  civilized 
men.  Not  a  canoe  is  now  in  sight.  The  white  race 
are  to  the  red  as  sun  to  snow:  as  silently  and  surely 
the  red  men  disappear,  dissipated  by  the  beams  of 
civilization.  Among  those  who  came  to  gaze  at  the 
overpowering  white  race  on  that  occasion,  was  an  old 
Chinook  chief,  the  number  of  whose  years  was  one 
hundred.  His  picture,  which  some  one  gave  to  us, 
shows  a  shrewd  character.  So,  no  doubt,  looked  Com- 
com-ly,  the  chief  whom  Washington  Irving  describes 
in  his  "Astoria,"  and  whose  contemporary  tkis  ven- 
erable savage  must  have  been.  His  sightless  eyes,  in 
his  early  manhood,  beheld  the  entrance  into  the  river 
of  that  vessel  whose  name  it  bears.  Between  that 
time  and  the  day  of  his  death,  he  saw  the  Columbia 
Biver  tribes,  which  once  numbered  thirty  thousand, 
decimated  again  and  again,  until  they  scarcely  counted 
up  one -tenth  of  that  number. 

If  you  ask  an  Astorian,  what  constitutes  the  wealth 
and  commercial  importance  of  his  town,  present  and 
future,  he  will  tell  you,  that  it  has  a  commodious 
harbor,  with  depth  of  water  enough  to  accommodate 
vessels  of  the  deepest  draft,  with  good  anchorage, 
and  shelter  from  south-west  (winter)  storms.  He  will 
point  to  the  forts  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  and  say 
that  they  make  business;  to  the  custom-house,  and 


50  OREGON   AND    WASHINGTON. 

that  it  makes  business.  He  will  jemind  you  of  the 
pilotage  of  all  the  incoming  and  outgoing  vessels,  and 
that  it  brings  in  a  great  deal  of  money.  He  will  point 
to  the  villages  growing  up  on  the  north  side  of  the 
river,  and  tell  you  they  bring  trade;  that  the  men 
employed  at  Knappton,  in  making  cement,  lumber, 
etc.,  spend  their  wages  in  Astoria. 

If  you  inquire  what  back  country  it  has  to  support 
it,  he  will  point  to  Clatsop,  and  the  valley  of  the  Ne- 
halem,  south  of  it;  and  tell  you,  that  it  is  but  seventy 
miles  into  the  great  valle}^  of  Western  Oregon — the 
Wallamet;  and  that  a  railroad  is  to  be  built  into  it 
from  Astoria,  through  the  coast  mountains.  He  men- 
tions, besides,  that  there  are  numerous  small  valleys 
of  streams  running  into  tho  Columbia  within  twenty 
miles,  which  are  of  the  best  of  rich  bottom-lands,  and 
only  need  opening  up.  This  is  the  Astorian's  view  of 
his  town,  and  we  know  nothing  to  the  contrary.  In- 
deed, fr(fm  inquiry  we  are  convinced  that  there  are  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Astoria  many  elements  of  wealth, 
both  mineral  and  agricultural,  which  only  require  time 
and  capital  to  develop. 

Having  satisfied  ourselves  of  the  material  prospects 
of  tho  town,  let  us  take  a  friendl}^  guide,  and  go  upon 
an  exploring  expedition  on  our  own  account.  We  want 
to  go  on  foot  around  the  point,  by  the  trail  through 
the  woods:  but,  no;  our  guide  sa^^s  we  must  not  at- 
tempt it,  tho  trail  is  in  such  a  condition!  "It  is  low 
tide,  and  we  will  go  by  the  beach." 

By  tlie  beach  we  go,  then,  stopping  now  and  tlicn  to 
fillip  a  jelly-fish  back  into  the  water  on  the  end  of  our 
alpenstock.  A  beach,  indeed!  we  had  always  thought 
that  sand,  or  fine  gravel,  at  least,  was  essential  to  that 
delightful  thing  in  Nature — a  beach.     But  here  are 


ASTORIA   AND    ITS   SURROUNDINGS.  51 

bowlders^  growing  larger  and  larger  as  we  near  Young's 
Bay,  until  just  at  the  extremity  of  the  point  they  re- 
quire much  exertion  to  scramble  over.  But  our  guide 
is  entertaining,  which  compensates  for  great  exertion. 

In  stories  of  ''peril  by  land  and  water,"  of  ship- 
wrecks, and  legends  of  treasure-trove — that  should  be 
— he  drowns  all  thoughts  of  mutiny,  and  we  toil  ahead. 
*'To  be  sure  there  have  been  wrecks  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Columbia — a  century — two  centuries  ago."  Then 
he  takes  from  his  pocket,  where  he  must  have  placed 
it  for  this  purpose,  and  shows  to  us  a  thin  cake  of  bees- 
wax, well  sanded  over,  which  he  avers  was  portion  of 
the  cargo  of  a  Japanese  junk,  cast  ashore  near  the 
Columbia  in  some  time  out  of  mind.  When  we  have 
wondered  over  this,  to  us,  singular  evidence  of  wreck- 
ing, he  produces  another,  in  the  form  of  a  waxen  tube. 
At  this  we  are  more  stultified  than  before,  and  then 
are  told  that  this  was  a  large  wax  candle,  such  as  the 
Japanese  priest,  as  well  as  the  Roman,  uses  to  burn 
before  altays.  The  wick  is  entirely'  rotted  out,  leav- 
ing the  candle  a  hollow  cylinder  of  wax. 

by  this  self-evident  explanation,  we  are  convinced. 
Certain  it  is  that  for  years,  whenever  there  has  been 
an  unusually  violent  storm,  portions  of  this  waxen 
cargo  are  washed  ashore,  ground  full  of  sand.  As 
bees-wax  is  a  common  commodity  in  Japan,  we  see  no 
reason  to  doubt  that  this,  which  the  sea  gives  up  from 
time  to  time,  originally  came  from  there.  The  suppo- 
sition is  tlie  more  natural,  as  the  mouth  of  the  Colum- 
bia is  exactly  opposite  the  northern  extremity  of  that 
Island  Empire;  and  a  junk,  once  disabled,  would  nat- 
urally drift  this  way.  The  thing  has  been  known  to 
occur  in  later  years;  and  that  other  wrecks,  probalily 
Spanish,  have  happened  on  this  coast,  is  evidenced  by 


52  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

the  light -haired  and  freckle  -  faced  natives  of  some 
portions  of  it  farther  north,  discovered  by  the  earliest 
traders. 

Our  hour  of  toil,  at  length,  brings  us  to  a  pretty 
piece  of  level,  grassy  land  away  from  the  beach,  where 
are  lofty  trees,  and  lower  thickets  of  wild  roses, 
white  spircea,  woodbine,  and  mock -orange.  Here,  in 
this  charming  solitude,  is  an  Indian  lodge,  the  resi- 
dence of  the  native  Clatsop;  and  we  have  a  strong 
desire  to  see  its  interior.  Exteriorly,  the  Clatsop 
residence  can  not  be  praised  for  its  beauty,  being 
made  of  cedar  planks,  set  upright  and  fastened  to  a 
square  or  oblong  frame  of  poles,  and  roofed  with 
cedar  bark.  Outside  are  numberless  dogs,  and  two 
pretty  girls,  of  ten  and  twelve  years  of  age,  with  glo- 
rious great,  black,  smiling  eyes. 

Peeping  inside,  we  see  three  squaws  of  various  ages, 
braiding  baskets  and  tending  a  baby  of  tender  age, 
with  two  "warriors"  sitting  on  their  haunches  and 
doing  nothing;  and  salmon  ever}'^vhere  —  on  the  lire, 
on  the  walls,  overhead,  dripping  grease  and  smelling 
villainously,  arc  salmon — nothing  but  salmon.  Our 
guide  holds  a  conversation  with  the  mother  of  the  lit- 
tle stranger,  in  jargon,  which  he  informs  us  relates  to 
the  fair  complexion  of  tlie  tillicum.  One  of  the  war- 
riors, presumed  to  be  its  papa,  laughs,  and  declares  it 
is  all  as  it  should  be.  Such  are  the  benefits  of  civili- 
zation to  the  savage! 

A  little  fiirther  on,  we  fall  in  with  a  different  sort 
of  savage — an  Irishman,  on  a  little  patch  of  ground 
which  he  cultivates  after  a  fashion  of  his  own,  at  the 
same  time  doing  liis  housekeeping  in  preference  to 
being  "botliercd  Avith  :i  woman."  lie  is  cooking  his 
afternoon  meal,  which  consists  of  a  soup  made  from 


ASTORIA   AND   ITS   SURROUNDINGS.  53 

boiling  a  ham-bone,  with  thistles  for  greens,  and  a  cup 
of  spruce  tea.  Think  of  this,  unlucky  men,  bothered 
with  women,  who,  but  for  them,  might  bo  subsisting 
yourselves  on  thistles  and  spruce  tea! 

Our  guide  points  out  to  us  the  peculiar  features  of 
Young's  Bay,  and  the  adjoining  country.  While  we 
admire  again  the  peaks  of  Castle  (Saddle)  Mountain, 
we  listen  to  a  legend,  or  tradition,  which  the  Nehalem 
Indians  relate  of  a  vessel  once  cast  ashore  near  the 
mouth  of  their  river,  the  crew  of  which  wero  saved, 
together  with  their  private  property,  and  a  box  which 
they  carried  ashore,  and  buried  on  Mount  Neah-car-ny, 
with  much  care,  leaving  two  swords  placed  on  it  in  the 
form  of  a  cross. 

Another  version  is,  that  one  of  their  own  number 
was  slain,  and  his  bones  laid  on  top  of  the  box  when 
it  was  buried.  This,  were  it  true,  would  more  eflfectu- 
ally  keep  away  the  Indians  than  all  the  swords  in  Spain. 

The  story  sounds  very  well,  and  is  firmly  believed 
by  the  Indians,  who  can  not  be  induced  to  go  near  the 
spot,  because  their  ancestors  were  told  by  those  who 
buried  the  box,  that,  should  they  ever  go  near  it,  they 
would  provoke  the  wrath  of  the  Great  Spirit.  The 
tale  corresponds  with  that  told  by  the  Indians  of  the 
upper  Columbia,  who  say  that  some  shipwrecked  men, 
one  of  whom  was  called  Soto,  lived  two  or  three  years 
with  their  tribe,  and  then  left  them  to  try  to  reach 
the  Spanish  countries  overland.  It  is  probable  enough 
that  a  Spanish  galleon  may  have  gone  ashore  near  tlie 
mouth  of  the  Columbia,  and  it  agrees  with  the  char- 
acter of  the  early  explorers  of  that  nation,  that  they 
should  undertake  to  reach  Mexico  by  land.  That 
they  never  did,  we  feel  sure,  and  give  a  sigh  to  their 
memory. 


54  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

Some  treasure  -  seekers  have  endeavored  to  find  the 
hidden  box,  but  without  result.  One  enthusiast  ex- 
pressed it  as  his  opinion,  that  he  coukl  go  right  to  the 
spot  where  it  is  hidden ;  but  why  he  did  not  do  so,  he 
failed  to  explain.  Like  the  treasure  of  Captain  Kidd, 
it  would  probably  cost  as  much  as  it  is  worth  to  find 
it.  Casting  backward  glances  at  the  beautiful  mount- 
ains, with  their  romantic  foreground  of  forest  and  river, 
we  turn  toward  Astoria.  All  along  the  edge  of  the 
wood  which  covers  the  point  are  hazel,  wild  cherry, 
alder,  vine-maple,  spircea,  mock-orange,  and  elder,  be- 
sides several  varieties  of  ferns,  some  of  a  great  height. 

Of  the  elder  there  are  three  varieties,  all  beautiful. 
The  trees  grow  to  a  considerable  size,  and  to  a  height 
of  thirty  feet.  The  colors  of  the  berries  are  lavender, 
scarlet,  and  orange.  We  find  also  some  other  orange- 
colored  berries,  resembling  immense  raspberries,  which 
our  guide  tells  us  arc  "salmon -berries."  They  are 
so  juicy  they  will  liardl}'  bear  handling,  and  literally 
melt  in  your  mouth.  Of  the  trees  in  sight,  the  most 
are  fir,  hemlock,  cedar,  and  yew.  But  of  whatever 
species  are  the  trees,  their  unusual  size  and  beauty 
make  them  interesting. 

When  we  reach  the  point  of  the  peninsula  again — 
Point  of  Bowlders,  we  should  call  it — we  are  just  in 
time  to  witness  the  golden  changes  of  the  sunset  over 
Cape  Hancock,  and  to  see  an  ocean  steamer  coming  in. 
She  has  passed  Fort  Stevens,  and,  by  the  time  we  have 
clambered  over  rocks  and  drift-wood  to  a  smoother 
portion  of  the  beach,  is  abreast  of  us,  and  almost  with- 
in a  stone's  throvv.  We  wave  our  handkerchiefs  wild- 
ly, knowing,  by  experience,  how  pleasant  is  any  signal 
from  the  land  when  our  ship  is  coming  in.  Then,  as 
if  to  answer  us,  she  fires  a  gun,  which  stuns  us  with 


ASTORIA   AND    ITS   SURROUNDINGS.  55' 

the  report.  TVe  hasten  to  tlio  wharf  and  scrutinize 
her  passengers,  while  her  captain  exchanges  courtesies 
with  custom-house  officers.  In  half  an  hour  she  is 
off  again,  leaving  us  to  wonder  how  long  it  will  be 
before  Astoria  gets  her  railroad,  and  ocean  steamers 
discharge  their  cargoes  within  a  dozen  miles  of  the  sea. 

The  situation  of  Astoria  as  a  commercial  entrepot^ 
although,  in  some  respects,  a  fine  one,  has  its  draw- 
backs, being  cut  off  from  the  interior  by  the  rugged 
and  densel}^  timbered  mountains  of  the  Coast  Range; 
and,  while  it  is  true  that  the  engineering  science  of 
the  present  day  discovers  obstacles  only  to  overcome 
them,  a  good  practical  reason  must  be  given  capitalists 
for  incurring  enormous  expenses.  What  course  the 
railroad  companies,  now  operating  in  Oregon,  will  pur- 
sue with  regard  to  this  point,  can,  at  present,  hardly 
be  conjectured.  The  country  now  tributary  to  Asto- 
ria is  a  narrow  strip  of  coast,  which  produces,  like 
the  Clatsop  Plains,  excellent  vegetables,  fruits,  and 
dairy  products,  but  is  not  usually  well  adapted  to  grain- 
raising.  These  products  are  continually  increasing,  as 
the  numerous  small  valleys,  in  the  radius  of  fifty  miles, 
are  being  settled  and  improved ;  yet,  it  is  our  impres- 
sion that  the  proper  exports  of  this  portion  of  the 
Columbia  Yalley  are  lumber,  fish,  and  minerals,  among 
the  principal  of  which  are  coal  and  cement.  The 
stone  of  which  the  new  custom-house  is  built  is  taken 
from  a  quarry  on  the  Washington  side  of  the  river, 
but  is,  b}^  no  means,  handsome  in  color,  or  regular  in 
stratification,  being,  apparently,  formed  from  a  deposit 
of  sand  around  other  bowlders,  which  are  as  hard  as 
flint,  and,  occurring  frequently,  seriously  interfere  with 
the  quarrying  of  reguhir  blocks. 

The  Columbia,  opposite  Astoria,  is  six  miles  in  width, 


56  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

being  one  mile  less  than  between  the  capes.  The  stage 
of  water  on  the  bar,  is,  mean  low  water,  twenty -four 
feet;  high  water,  thirty -two:  from  which  it  will  be 
seen  that  there  is  abundance  of  deep  water,  and  room 
for  shipping,  about  Astoria.  About  mid -river  we  had, 
from  the  pilot-house  of  the  Grant,  one  of  the  grandest 
views  to  be  obtained  anywhere,  of  a  magnificent  body 
of  water,  in  conjunction  with  fine,  bold  scenery  in 
immediate  connection,  and  distant  visions  of  dazzling 
snow -peaks.  Looking  seaward,  we  beheld  the  dark 
headland  of  Cape  Disappointment,  and  the  low  neck 
which  constitutes  Point  Adams,  with  the  broad  open- 
ing of  Young's  Bay  defining  it  more  sharply;  toward 
the  south,  highlands,  with  Astoria  at  their  foot,  and 
the  '^ castled  crags"  of  Saddle  Mountain  towering  over 
them;  and  toward  the  east,  Mount  Adams  and  Mount 
St.  Helen,  each  more  than  a  hundred  miles  awa}^,  but 
seeming  to  rise  up  in  their  pure  whiteness  out  of  the 
everlasting  green  of  the  intermediate  forests. 

On  the  north  side  of  the  river,  opposite  Astoria, 
we  found  the  little  fishing  village  of  Chinook,  where 
salmon  are  yearly  caught,  and  put  up  for  export;  and 
the  new  settlement  of  Knappton,  where  is  a  fine  lum- 
ber-mill, cutting  about  twenty -five  thousand  feet  per 
day,  and  where  are  also  the  cement -works,  belonging 
to  the  enterprising  owners  of  the  mill.  In  a  little 
valley,  just  over  the  ridge  back  of  this  place,  a  colony 
have  lately  settled,  who  pronounce  the  soil  to  be  ex- 
cellent, and  themselves  deliglited  with  their  situation, 
especially  as  they  are  each  entitled  to  a  homestead  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  the  choicest  land  they 
can  find.  But  for  lack  of  time  we  should  have  availed 
ourself  of  the  offer  of  our  captain,  and  paid  a  visit  to 
tlie  settlers  of  Deep  River. 


CHAPTER  V. 

AMONG   THE   FISHERIES. 

IIaytng  satisfied  ourselves  that  we  kave  seen  the 
principal  points  of  interest  about  the  oldest  American 
settlement  on  the  North-west  Coast,  we  take  passage, 
at  an  early  hour  of  the  morning,  on  board  the  Dlxia 
Thojnpson,  the  elegant  steamer  which  plies  between 
Astoria  and  Portland. 

Above  Astoria,  for  some  distance,  there  are  no  settle- 
ments on  the  river.  But  the  grandeur  of  the  wooded 
highlands,  the  frequently  projecting  cliffs  covered  with 
forest  to  their  very  edges,  and  embroidered  and  fes- 
tooned with  mosses,  ferns,  and  vines,  together  with  the 
far-stretching  views  of  the  broad  Columbia,  suffice  to 
engage  the  admiring  attention  of  the  tourist.  In  con- 
sequence of  fires,  which  every  year  spread  through  and 
destroy  large  tracts  of  timber,  the  mountains  in  many 
places  present  a  desolated  appearance,  the  naked  trunks 
alone  of  the  towering  firs  being  left  standing  to  decay. 
After  a  few  years  a  new  growth  covers  the  ground,  but 
the  old  trees  remain  unsightly  objects  still.  It  is  true, 
however,  in  compensation  for  the  ugliness  of  a  burnt 
forest,  that  the  shape  of  the  country  is  thereby  par- 
tially revealed,  and  that  one  discovers  fine  level  bench- 
es of  land  fit  for  farming,  in  the  openings  thus  made, 
where  before  no  such  variations  from  the  general  slope 
had  been  apparent. 

The  first  point  at  which  the  river  steamers  touch  in 


58  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

going  up,  is  Cathlamet — a  small  trading  post  and 
salmon  fishery,  about  twenty  miles  above  Astoria,  on 
the  north  side  of  the  river.  Ten  miles  farther  up,  on 
the  south  side,  is  Westpcrt,  situated  upon  one  of  the 
numerous  sloughs  which  the  river  forms  on  the  Oregon 
side.  This  site  was  taken  up  as  early  as  1851,  by 
Captain  John  West,  who,  with  his  family,  has  con- 
tinued to  reside  here,  giving  his  name  to  the  place. 
Almost  by  his  individual  enterprise  he  has  built  up  a 
flourishing  settlement,  and  now  owns  wharves,  ware- 
houses, a  store  of  general  merchandise,  a  lumber-mill, 
and  a  salmon  fishery,  besides  a  fine  farm  and  dairy. 

This  slough,  or  bayou,  of  the  Columbia  is  a  pretty 
bit  of  quiet  water,  with  a  level,  wooded  island  on  one 
side,  and  the  main -land  backed  by  wooded  hills  on 
the  other.  It  is  no  place  for  a  large  town,  but  an 
excellent  one  for  what  it  is — a  flourishing  trading  post. 
The  valley  of  the  Nehalem,  a  considerable  stream  that 
runs  nearly  parallel  with  the  Columbia,  emptying  into 
the  ocean  near  Tillamook  Head,  is  rapidly  being  set- 
tled up,  and  adds  to  the  importance  of  Westport,  which 
is  the  only  trading  post  within  twelve  miles  of  the 
new  settlement. 

The  steamer  being  detained  for  half  an  hour  at  this 
place,  gives  us  an  opportunity  to  step  ashore  and  take 
a  look  at  the  salmon  fishery.  We  find  it  a  busy  place, 
the  fishing  season,  which  begins  in  May  and  ends  in 
August,  being  at  its  height.  The  manner  of  taking 
salmon  in  the  Columbia  is  usually  by  drift  nets,  from 
twenty  to  a  hundred  fathoms  long.  The  boats  used 
by  the  fishermen  are  similar  to  the  Whitehall  boat. 
According  to  laws  of  their  own,  the  men  engaged  in 
taking  the  fish,  where  the  drift  is  large,  allow  each 
boat  a  stated  time  to  go  back  and  forth  along  the  drift 


AMONG   THE   FISHERIES.  59 

to  hook  up  the  salmon.  The  meshes  of  the  nets  are 
just  of  a  size  to  catch  the  fisli  ])y  the  gills,  when 
attempting  to  j)ass  through;  and  their  misfortune  is 
betrayed  to  the  watchful  eye  of  tiie  hsherman,  by  the 
bobbing  of  the  corks  on  the  surface  of  the  water. 

When  brought  to  the  fishery,  they  are  piled  up  on 
long  tables  which  project  out  over  the  water.  Here 
stand  Chinamen,  two  at  each  table,  armed  with  long, 
sharp  knives,  who,  with  great  celerity  and  skill,  dis- 
embowel and  behead  the  fresh  arrivals,  pushing  the 
ofial  over  the  brink  into  the  river  at  the  same  time. 
After  cleaning,  the  fish  are  thrown  into  brine  vats, 
where  they  remain  from  one  to  two  days  to  undergo 
the  necessary  shrinkage,  which  is  nearly  one -half. 
They  are  then  taken  out,  washed  thoroughly,  and 
packed  down  in  barrels,  with  the  proper  quantity  of 
salt.  That  they  may  keep  perfectly  well,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  heap  them  up  in  the  barrels,  and  force  them 
down  with  a  screw  press. 

A  fishery  proper  is  understood  to  mean,  a  barreling 
establishment;  while  a  cannery,  is  one  where  the  fish 
are  preserved  in  cans,  both  fresh  and  spiced,  or  pickled. 
The  establishment  of  Mr.  West  is  both  these  in  one. 
This  establishment,  also,  has  commenced  the  business 
of  saving  the  oil,  which,  in  barreling  salmon,  is  pressed 
out,  and  is  equal  in  quality  to  the  best  sperm- oil. 

The  method  of  canning  salmon  was  kept  secret /or 
one  or  two  seasons,  and  only  a  few  of  the  fisheries 
•practiced  it.  Xo  effort  is  now  made  to  conceal  tlii' 
processes.  The  result  is  the  main  thing  in  which  the 
public  are  interested,  and  this  is  a  delicious  prepara- 
tion of  fresh,  or  spiced  and  vinegared  fish,  put  up  ready 
for  the  table.  The  market  for  canned  salmon  is  rapid- 
ly increasing — the  principal  exports  being,  at  present, 


60  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

to  California,  South  America,  China,  and  the  Islands. 
It  is  expected  to  find  a  market  for  it  in  New  York  and 
London,  as  soon  as  the  amount  produced  becomes  large 
enough  to  supply  those  cities. 

The  whistle  of  the  Dixie  warns  us  to  bring  our  ob- 
servation to  a  close  at  this  point.  Turning  back  down 
the  slough,  we  emerge  once  more  into  the  Columbia, 
and  soon  arrive  at  a  point  in  the  river  known  as  the 
''Narrows,"  but  to  which  Lieutenant  Wilkes  gave  the 
name  of  St.  Helen's  Reach,  from  the  bold  view  of  that 
mountain  obtained  here,  at  a  distance  of  eighty  miles. 
The  Narrows  is  a  famous  fishing  ground,  and  the  lar- 
gest drift  is  here.  Traps,  or  weirs,  were  also  in  use 
about  the  Narrows,  but  the  high  water,  this  year  (1871), 
destroyed  most  of  them.  There  are  no  less  than  seven 
fisheries  in  a  distance  of  three  miles,  two  of  them  being 
large  establishments.  That  of  Ilapgood  &  Hume  put 
up,  this  year,  700,000  pounds  of  canned  salmon;  West 
&  Co.,  400,000  pounds.  Hume  &  Co.,  another  firm,  have 
also  a  large  cannery,  and  Reed  &  Trott,  another  large 
establishment  opposite  these  last,  on  the  Oregon  side. 
In  all,  there  are  twenty -five  of  these  fisheries,  from 
Chinook  up  to  a  point  just  above  the  Narrows,  employ- 
ing, altogether,  about  three  hundred  men. 

The  profits  of  the  fishing  business  may  be  roughly 
computed  by  estimating  the  value  of  a  case  of  canned 
salmon.  An  average  salmon  fills  ten  cans.  These  are 
put  into  cases  containing  forty -eight  pounds  each,  and 
worth  $9.  Ilapgood  &  Hume  must  then  have  put  up, 
this  year,  over  14,583  cases,  amounting  to  $131,247. 
About  twenty  men  are  employed  about  such  an  estab- 
lishment during  the  fishin<^  season,  and  eight  or  ten 
during  the  winter  months.  The  winter's  work  consists 
in  making  barrels  and  cans.     The  cost  of  the  labor  of 


AMONG   THE  FISHERIES.  61 

twenty  men  during  four  months,  and  of  half  that  num- 
ber during  the  remainder  of  the  year,  with  the  first 
cost  of  material,  must  be  deducted  from  the  total 
results,  the  remainder  showing  a  handsome  balance. 
And  this  is  for  only  one  cannery.  Besides  the  two  or 
three  others,  the  different  fisheries  put  up,  this  year, 
2,000  barrels  of  fish. 

The  first  drift  for  salmon  catching  was  cleared  in 
1851,  by  Messrs.  Ilodgkins  and  Sanders — afterward 
continued  by  Ilodgkins  &  Reed,  now  Reed  &  Trott  — 
and  the  first  canning  establishment  started,  in  1867, 
by  Ilapgood  &  Ilume.  The  buildings,  erected  at  any 
of  the  fisheries,  are  of  a  rude  character,  being  con- 
structed of  unplaned  fir  lumber.  The  largest  are  built 
about  one  hundred  feet  long,  by  twenty-five  feet  front, 
with  a  deep  shod  projecting  over  the  river,  for  con- 
venience in  cleaning  the  fish  as  well  as  to  shelter  them 
from  the  sun.  From  the  platform,  extending  along 
the  side  of  the  building,  stairs  run  down  to  the  water, 
where  the  boats  are  moored.  In  the  lower  story  of 
this  building  are  the  vats,  or  "striking  tubs,"  arranged 
around  the  sides.  A  commodious  wharf,  at  which 
steamers  and  sailing  vessels  may  receive  freight,  is 
also  a  necessary  appendage. 

There  is  no  part  of  the  Pacific  Coast  so  well  adapted 
to  fish-curing  as  Oregon  and  Washington.  The  climate, 
either  north  or  south  of  their  latitude,  is  either  too 
moist  or  too  dry.  Wood  for  barrels  is  close  at  hand ; 
and,  not  yet  utilized,  close  at  hand,  too,  is  the  best 
salt  in  the  world  for  curing  meats  of  any  kind.  Seeing 
to  what  an  immense  business  salmon  fishing  is  grow- 
ing, one  can  not  help  wishing  that  Nathaniel  Wyeth, 
who  tried  so  hard,  in  1832,  to  establish  a  fisher}^  on 
the  Columbia,  and  failed  through  a  combination  of 


62  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

causes,  could  see  his  dream  fulfilled,  of  making  the 
Columbia  famous  for  its  fisheries  and  its  lumber  trade. 
But  he,  like  most  enthusiasts,  was  born  too  soon  to 
behold  the  realization  of  the  truths  he  felt  convinced  of. 

There  are  several  species  of  salmon  and  salmon- 
trout  which  are  found  in  the  Columbia.  Of  these, 
three  species  of  the  silvery  spring  salmon,  known  to 
naturalists  as  Salmo  qidnnat^  S.  gairdneri,  and  S.  pauci- 
dens,  are  those  used  for  commercial  purposes,  and 
known  as  the  "square -tailed"  and  ''white  salmon" — 
the  third  species  being  considered  as  smaller  individu- 
als of  the  same  kinds,  though  really  distinct  in  kind. 

When  they  enter  the  river,  near  its  mouth,  they 
may  be  caught  by  hook  and  bait.  The  Indians  use 
small  herring  for  bait,  sinking  it  with  a  stone,  and 
trolling,  by  paddling  silently  and  occasionally  jerking 
the  line.  Near  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  they  can 
be  taken  with  the  fly;  but,  as  salmon  do  not  feed,  on 
their  annual  journey  up  the  river  to  spawn,  it  is  useless 
to  offer  them  bait.  They  can  only  be  caught  at  a 
distance  from  the  ocean  by  nets  and  seines,  or  by 
spearing.  The  natives  usually  take  them  by  using 
scoop-nets,  which  they  dip  into  the  water,  at  random, 
near  the  falls  and  rapids,  where  large  numbers  of 
salmon  are  collected  to  jump  the  fiills.  As  these  falls 
are  all  at  a  considerable  distance  from  the  sea,  by  the 
time  they  arrive  at  them  the  fish  are  more  or  less 
emaciated,  from  fasting  and  the  exertion  of  stemming 
currents  and  climbing  rapids,  and,  consequently,  not 
in  so  good  a  condition  as  when  caught  near  the  sea. 
Hence,  the  superior  quality  of  Chinook  salmon. 

The  immense  numbers  of  all  kinds  of  salmon  which 
ascend  the  Columbia  annually,  is  something  wonder- 
ful.    They  seem  to  be  seeking  quiet  and  safe  places  in 


AilONG   THE   FISHERIES.  63 

which  to  deposit  their  spawn,  and  thousands  of  thorn 
Clever  stop  until  they  reach  the  great  falls  of  the  Snake 
River,  more  than  six  hundred  miles  from  the  sea;  or, 
those  of  Clarke's  Fork,  a  still  greater  distance.  All 
the  small  tributaries  of  the  Snake,  Boise,  Powder, 
Burnt,  and  Payette  rivers  swarm  with  them,  in  the 
months  of  September  and  October. 

Great  numbers  of  salmon  die  on  having  discharged 
their  instinctive  dut}^:  some  of  them,  evidently,  be- 
cause exhausted  by  their  long  journey,  and  others, 
apparently,  because  their  term  of  life  ends  with  arrival 
and  spawning.  Their  six  hundred  miles  of  travel 
against  the  current,  and  exertion  in  overcoming  rapids, 
or  jumping  falls,  often  deprives  them  of  sight,  and 
wears  off  their  noses.  Of  course,  all  these  mutilated 
individuals  perish,  besides  very  many  others;  so  that 
the  shores  of  the  small  lakes  and  tributaries  of  both 
branches  of  the  Columbia  are  lined,  in  autumn,  with 
dead  and  dying  fish.  But  they  leave  their  roe  in  the 
beds  of  these  interior  rivers,  to  replace  them  in  their 
return  to  the  sea  by  still  greater  numbers. 

Besides  the  salmon  of  commerce,  the  Columbia  fur- 
nishes a  great  many  other  species  of  edible  fish,  in- 
cluding salmon -trout,  sturgeon,  tom-<jod,  flounder, 
and  smelt — all  of  which  are  excellent  table -fish,  in 
their  proper  seasons. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

TRIBUTARIES -OF   THE    LOWER   COLUMBIA. 

Just  above  the  Narrows,  and  opposite  to  the  Oak 
Point  of  Captain  Winship,  is  the  modern  Oak  Point, 
which  seems  to  have  borrowed  the  name,  and  shifted 
it  to  the  Washington  side.  The  name  is  pretty  and 
distinctive,  and  ought  never  to  be  changed,  as  it 
marks  the  western  boundary  of  the  oak-tree  in  Oregon 
and  Washington.  Between  this  and  the  sea  not  an 
oak-tree  grows.  The  only  business  at  or  about  Oak 
Point  is  that  of  the  fisheries  already  mentioned,  and 
the  lumbering  establishment  of  Mr.  Abernethy,  which 
was  erected  in  1848-9.  It  is  run  by  water-power, 
and  capable  of  manufacturing  4,000,000  feet  annually. 

About  ten  miles  above  Oak  Point  we  come  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Cowlitz  River.  Just  below  it  is  a  high, 
conical  hill,  known  as  Mount  Coffin.  This  eminence, 
together  with  Coffin  Rock,  seven  miles  above,  on  the 
Oregon  side,  formed  the  burial-places  of  the  Indians 
of  this  vicinity,  before  the  settlement  of  the  country 
by  whites.  Here  the  dead  were  deposited  in  canoes, 
well  wrapped  up  in  mats  or  blankets,  with  their  most 
valuable  property  beside  them,  and  their  domestic 
utensils  hung  upon  the  posts  which  supported  their 
unique  coffins.  Wilkes  relates  in  his  journal,  how  his 
men  accidentally  set  fire  to  the  underbrush  on  Mount 
Coffin,  causing  a  number  of  the  canoes  to  be  consumed, 
to  the  grief  and  horror  of  the  Indians,  who  would 


TRIBUTARIES   OF   THE   LOWER  COLUMBIA.  G5 

have  avenged  the  insult,  had  they  not  been  convinced 
of  its  accidental  occurrence.  Ifemdose  Illlhee  is  the 
name  which  they  gave  to  their  burial  grounds.  Freely 
translated,  it  means  Spirit  country. 

The  Cowlitz  is  a  small  river,  though  navigable  for 
twenty  miles  when  the  water  is  high  enough,  and 
about  half  that  distance,  at  all  times.  It  rises  in 
Mount  St.  Helen,  and  runs,  westwardly,  for  some  dis- 
tance, when  it  turns  abruptly  to  the  south.  The 
valley  of  the  Cowlitz  is  small,  being  not  more  than 
twenty  miles  long,  and  four  or  five  wide.  It  is  heavi- 
ly timbered,  except  for  a  few  miles  above  its  mouth, 
where  the  rich  alluvial  bottom-lands  are  cleared  and 
cultivated.  No  finer  soil  could  possibly  exist  than 
this  in  the  Cowlitz  Valley.  A  few  years  ago,  however, 
the  town  of  Monticello,  four  miles  from  the  Columbia, 
was  all  swept  away  in  a  flood.  It  has  been  replaced 
by  a  fresher  edition  of  its  former  self,  however,  and 
looks  as  cheerful  and  ambitious  as  if  it  knew  there 
could  be  no  second  deluge.  Opposite  Monticello  is 
the  old  Insane  Asylum  for  Washington  Territory,  in  a 
location  admirably  adapted  to  confirm  any  incipient 
cases  that  may  have  appeared  there.  The  asylum  has 
recently  been  removed  to  Steilacoom,  on  the  Sound — 
a  very  proper  and  delightful  location. 

This  portion  of  the  Cowlitz  Valley  does  not  depend 
alone  upon  its  fertility  for  its  future  importance.  There 
are  extensive  deposits  of  coal  in  the  mountains  which 
border  the  river,  besides  other  mineral  deposits  which 
the  North  Pacific  Railroad  and  an  increase  of  popula- 
tion will  eventually  bring  into  notice.  There  is,  too, 
an  almost  inexhaustible  supply  of  the  finest  fir  and 
cedar  upon  the  mountains  which  hem  it  in. 

The  Cowlitz  lliver,  as  might  be  conjectured,  is  a 


66  OREGON   AND    WASHINGTON. 

rapid  stream,  and  cold  from  the  snows  of  St,  Helen. 
Its  waters  in  summer,  when  the  snows  are  melting 
rapidly,  are  white,  from  being  mixed  with  volcanic 
ashes,  or  some  disintegrated  infusorial  marl  or  chalk. 
A  favorite  voyage  for  travelers  coming  down  from 
Puget  Sound,  is  twenty  miles  of  canoe  travel  from 
Pumphrey's  Landing  to  Monticello.  An  Indian  canoe, 
with  Indians  to  steer,  carries  one  rapidly  and  pleas- 
antly down  stream — while  the  excitement  of  passing 
the  rapids,  and  the  splendid  scenery  of  the  wild,  little 
river,  furnish  entertainment. 

So  disguised  in  a  luxuriance  of  trees  and  shrubbery 
is  the  mouth  of  the  Cowlitz,  that,  when  we  are  in  the 
open  Columbia,  we  can  scarcely  detect  the  place  of  our 
exit  from  it.  Crossing  over  to  the  Oregon  side  we 
find  ourselves  at  Rainier,  where  lumber  is  manufact- 
ured, chiefly  for  export.  The  location  of  Rainier  is, 
in  many  respects,  fine;  but,  at  present,  there  seems  to 
be  little  besides  the  lumber  trade  to  give  it  business, 
though  there  are  a  few  excellent  farms  in  the  vicinity. 
Any  day  in  summer  one  may  see  at  this  place  a  pict- 
uresque group  of  natives  hanging  about  the  wharves, 
or  paddling  their  canoes  near  the  steamboat -landing. 
Should  they  have  berries  to  sell,  they  will  ofi^er  them 
to  you  in  neatly  woven  baskets  of  cedar- bark,  which 
you  are  welcome  to  keep  if  you  purchase  their  contents. 

Without  tarrying  long,  we  steam  on  up,  passing  Cof- 
fin Rock  —  another  onemelose  iUihee — a  promontory  of 
basalt  sparsely  covered  with  trees,  wliicli  have  found 
soil  enough  in  the  crevices  to  support  a  stunted  growtli. 
Along  here,  on  the  Oregon  side,  is  a  tract  of  level  land, 
extending  back  from  tlie  Columl)ia  for  some  distance. 
It  answers  to  the  depression  of  the  Cowlitz  Valley;  and 
it  is  remarkable,  that,  wherever  a  stream  comes  into  the 


TRIBUTARIES   OF   THE   LOWER   COLUMBIA.  07 

Columbia  large  enough  to  be  said  to  have  a  valley, 
there  is  on  the  opposite  side  a  break  in,  or  a  curvature 
of,  the.  highlands,  making  more  or  less  level  country 
facing  the  valley  which  is  perpendicular  to  it,  so  that 
the  valleys  of  the  streams  may  be  said  to  cross  the 
Columbia,  and,  even,  to  be  widest  on  the  opposite  side. 
Somewhere  in  here  the  Claskenine,  a  stream  with  a 
fertile  and  partially  cultivated  valley,  enters  the  Colum- 
bia from  the  Oregon  side ;  but  the  entrance  is  hidden 
by  islands  and  shrubbery. 

While  we  are  interested  in  observing  the  stretch  of 
the  river  at  this  point,  and  noting  the  islands  and 
bayous  which  make  it  difficult  to  determine  its  actual 
breadth,  we  have  advanced  several  miles,  and  find 
ourselves  abreast  of  Kalama,  the  initial  point  of  the 
North  Pacific  Railroad,  on  the  Columbia  River.  Al- 
ready an  energetic  beginning  has  been  made,  and  from 
this  port  to  the  Sound  a  railroad  will  be  constructed 
within  a  year  or  two.  The  silent  grandeur  of  the  Co- 
lumbia is  to  be  made  busy  and  vocal  with  the  stir 
of  human  labor,  and  the  shriek  of  "resonant  steam 
eagles"  that  speed  from  ocean  to  ocean,  bearing  the 
good  -  will  of  the  nations  of  the  world  in  bales  of  mer- 
chandise. It  is  the  dream  of  Jefferson  and  Benton 
realized  —  only  could  the  latter  have  had  his  wish  ful- 
filled to  live  until  this  day! 

"In  conclusion  I  have  to  assure  you,  that  the  same 
spirit  wliich  has  made  me  the  friend  of  Oregon  for 
thirty  years — which  led  me  to  denounce  the  Joint 
Occupation  Treaty  the  day  it  was  made,  and  to  oppose 
its  renewal  in  1828,  and  to  labor  for  its  abrogation 
until  it  was  terminated ;  the  same  spirit  which  led  me 
to  reveal  the  grand  destiny  of  Oregon  in  articles  writ- 
ten in  1818,  and  to  support  every  measure  for  her 


68  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

benefit  since — this  same  spirit  still  animates  me,  and 
will  continue  to  do  so  while  I  live — which  I  hope  will 

BE  LONG  ENOUGH  TO  SEE  AN  EMPORIUM  OF  ASIATIC  COMMERCE 
AT  THE  MOUTH  OF  YOUR  RFVER,  AND  A  STREAM  OF  ASIATIC 
TRADE  POURING  INTO  THE  YaLLEY  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI 
THROUGH    THE    CHANNEL    OF    OrEGON." Ldtev    of  BeiltOU 

to  the  People  of  Oregon,  in  1847. 

But  Benton  did  not  understand  the  geography  of 
the  coast;  neither  did  he  know  much  of  ihe  practical 
working  of  railroads  in  recognizing  or  ignoring  any 
points  but  their  own.  He  did  not  foresee  the  Central 
Pacific  going  to  San  Francisco,  and  the  Xorthern 
Pacific  to  Puget  Sound,  and  an  emporium  of  Asiatic 
commerce  at  either  of  these  termini,  while  a  third 
great  city  distributed  their  commerce  along  the  Co- 
lumbia and  its  tributaries,  from  its  mouth  to  its  sources; 
and  that  third  city  ought  to  be  somewhere  within  a 
dozen  miles  of  the  present  initial  point  of  the  North 
Pacific. 

Turning  this  thought  over  in  our  mind,  we  are 
struck  by  the  coincidence  as  some  one  points  out  to 
us,  within  the  dozen  miles,  a  place  on  the  Oregon 
side  which  aspires  to  be  that  future  city.  It  is  a 
pretty  town -site  enough,  certainly,  sloping  gently 
back  from  the  river,  which  here,  for  two  or  three 
miles,  has  a  smootli,  gravelly  beach,  instead  of  the 
more  usual  abrupt  and  rocky  shore.  As  we  turn  to 
the  view  of  ]\lount  ^.  Helen,  just  here  seen  through 
the  canyon  of  the  Cathlapootlc,  or  Lewis  River,  which 
rises  in  the  snows  of  tliat  mountain,  we  agree  that  the 
aspiring  town -site  nmst  command  a  beautiful  pros- 
])ect,  including  in  its  range  Mount  Adams  and  Mount 
Hood,  as  well  as  Mount  St.  Helen. 

An  admiring  word  calls  out  some  volunteer  remarks 


TRIBUTARIES   OF    THE   LOWER   COLUMBIA.  69 

from  a  fellow -passenger;  and  we  ask,  with  augmented 
interest,  what  is  claimed  for  this  particular  point. 
"In  the  first  place,"  says  our  informant,  "the  Colum- 
bia River  is  the  natural  channel  of  commerce  for 
the  State  of  Oregon,  as  well  as  the  southern  border 
of  Washington;  for  Idaho,  and  a  portion  of  Montana. 
Its  navigation  is  unobstructed  from  this  point  to  the 
sea,  which  can  not  be  said  of  it  thirty  miles  farther 
up;  besides,  there  are  no  good  town -sites  above  the 
entrance  of  the  lower  Wallamet.  The  navigation  of 
the  river  being  eas}^,  and  safe  for  vessels  of  the  largest 
size  up  to  this  point,  is  one  good  argument  for  us." 

"Oh,"  we  ejaculate,  "you  are  interested  in  this 
place — what  do  you  call  it?" 

"We  call  it  Columbia  City.  Our  view  of  the  case," 
continues  our  informant,  "is,  that  wherever  the  North 
Pacific  Railroad  has  its  crossing,  there  the  greater 
portion  of  the  domestic  trade  of  Oregon  will  centre. 
The  merchants  of  Eastern  Oregon,  Idaho,  and  Montana, 
in  going  to  purchase  goods,  will  not  go  by  us,  to  San 
Francisco,  or  to  the  Sound,  to  purchase,  if  they  can 
supply  themselves  just  as  well  here,  of  which  there 
can  be  no  doubt.  Direct  importation  by  sea  from 
New  York,  Canton,  or  the  Islands,  is  just  as  easy  here 
as  to  San  Francisco,  and  only  a  few  days  longer  from 
the  first  place.  It  is  about  two  hundred  miles  nearer 
to  China  and  Japan  than  any  probable  point  on  the 
Sound.  It  has  to  back  it  the  great,  fertile  Wallamet 
Valley,  and  the  country  which  contains  it  has  fifty 
miles  of  river- front." 

"All  that  sounds  reasonable  enough;  but  can  the 
Columbia  River  compete  with  the  Sound  in  the  matter 
of  safety?     How  is  it  about  the  bar?" 

"There  is  not,  nor  ever  has  been,  any  more  danger 


70  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

on  this  bar  than  that  of  San  Francisco  or  New  York. 
Since  the  pilotage  system  was  established,  there  has 
never  been  an  accident  on  the  bar.  It  is  safer  than 
navigating  the  Straits  in  a  fog.  There  is  no  advantage 
in  having  more  water  than  3'ou  can  use,  and  there  is 
enough  and  to  spare  in  the  Columbia.  The  Sound  is 
'the  finest  inland  body  of  water  in  the  world,'  but  you 
can  not  build  a  city  all  around  it — there  is  nothing  to 
support  it.  Talk  about  lumber  and  coal,  and  other 
minerals!  Why,  we  have  got  the  same  here,  ^alk 
about  ship-building  and  navy-yards,  and  all  that!  We 
can  build  ships,  too;  and  we  have  the  iron,  within  a 
few  miles  of  us,  to  build  into  iron-clads,  and  fresJi 
water  for  them  to  lie  in.  There's  fifty  to  seventy  feet 
of  water  right  across  the  river  at  our  point — and  a 
mile  wide  at  that!" 

"Granting  all  you  claim,  that  you  could  compete 
with  San  Francisco  and  the  Sound — are  not  the  Idaho 
and  Montana  merchants  going  to  buy  the  bulk  of  their 
goods  in  Chicago?" 

"Well,  we  hope  to  prevent  that  by  judicious  man- 
agement. What  we  claim  is,  that  the  soil  and  popu- 
lation are  going  to  fix  the  centres  of  commerce;  and 
these  we  have  on  the  south  side  of  the  Columbia." 

There  is  so  much  common  sense  in  this  proposition 
that  we  refrain  from  contradicting  it,  and  inquire  the 
name  of  the  little  town  with  the  beautiful  location,  at 
which  the  steamer  is  stopping.  "St.  Helen."  A  pretty 
name,  and  a  pretty  place;  but  why  do  the  Oregonians 
repeat  their  names  so  much :  Columbia  River  and 
Columbia  City;  Mount  St.  Helen  and  town  St.  Helen? 
Why  not  let  every  thing  have  a  name  of  its  own? 

This  is  an  attractive  spot.  The  rocky  bank  forms 
a  sharp,  clear  line  of  frontage,  of  a  convenient  height 


TRIBUTARIES   OF   THE   LOWER   COLUMBIA.  71 

for  wharves.  A  second  bench,  considerably  more  ele- 
vated, is  covered  with  beautiful  firs,  in  the  midst  of 
which  stands  a  neat,  white  church.  The  village  is 
grouped  below,  and  has  an  air  of  cheerfulness  not 
common  to  embryo  towns.  Our  steamer  is  lying  along- 
side the  wharf  of  a  lumber-mill,  of  a  capacity  evi- 
dently greater  than  any  we  have  heretofore  seen  along 
the  river.  The  mill  is  a  fine  structure,  and  the  w^harves 
are  piled  high  with  lumber,  which  is  being  loaded  upon 
a  vessel  bound  for  Callao.  There  are  several  stores 
near  the  landing,  and  a  whole  fleet  of  little  boats 
beached  on  a  bit  of  sand  close  by.  This  is  evidently 
a  trading  post  of  some  consequence. 

We  take  pains  to  inquire  into  the  business  and  his- 
tory of  the  place.  Its  history  is  a  little  peculiar. 
"Hope  deferred  which  maketh  the  heart  sick"  has 
been  its  fortune  from  first  to  last.  As  long  ago  as 
when  Wyeth  was  trying  to  establish  American  com- 
merce on  the  Columbia,  he  selected  this  spot  for  his 
futiu'e  city,  and  it  obtained  among  the  first  settlers 
the  name  of  ''Wyeth's  Rock."  Afterward*  it  was 
claimed  by  a  man  named  Knighton,  who,  holding  the 
same  view  of  it,  laid  it  out  in  a  town -site,  having  it 
properly  surveyed,  the  streets  named,  etc.  But  Mr. 
Knighton  entertained  such  exalted  notions  of  the 
value  of  his  lots,  and  of  his  ability  to  build  up  a  town 
without  assistance,  that  those  men  who  would  have 
"stuck  their  stakes"  in  St.  Helen,  in  a  fit  of  pique, 
turned  themselves  into  aii  opposition  party,  and  laid 
out  the  town  of  Portland.  By  wiser  management  than 
Knighton's,  they  succeeded  in  drawing  away  from  him 
the  business  he  thought  himself  able  to  secure — and 
the  result  is,  a  city  of  ten  thousand  inhabitants  at 
Portland,  and  only  a  couple  of  hundreds  at  St.  Helen. 


72  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

Such  was  the  confidence  in  its  future  at  the  begin- 
ning, that  the  Pacific  Mail  Steamship  Company  built 
a  wharf  and  warehouse  here ;  stores  and  hotels  sprang 
up;  mills  were  built;  and  men  were  confident  that 
their  fortunes  lay  in  this  place.  But,  by  and  by, 
mysterious  fires  destroyed  wharves,  warehouse,  and 
mill.  The  ocean  steamer  was  forced  to  go  to  Port- 
land; business  died  out;  men  became  discouraged, 
and  went  otherwheres;  and  St.  Helen  was  deserted 
by  all  except  a  faithful  few,  who  never  lost  faith  that 
time  would  bring  all  things  right. 

Six  years  ago  the  town -site  changed  hands,  and 
the  present  large  lumber-mill  was  erected  by  the  St. 
Helen  Milling  Company,  cutting  from  forty  to  seventy- 
five  thousand  feet  in  twenty-four  hours.  Two  or  three 
merchants  set  up  general  merchandising,  and  trade 
revived  to  such  an  extent  as  to  rekindle  hope  in  the 
hearts  of  the  faithful  few;  and,  now,  St.  Helen  again 
asserts  her  claim  to  be  considered  "the  best  point  on 
the  Columbia  River  for  a  town."  From  all  which  it 
appears  that  Columbia  City  and  St.  Helen  are  rivals. 
As  there  is  only  a  mile  or  two  between  them,  it  would 
not  seem  that  their  rivalry  could  be  very  fierce. 
Probably  there  will  be,  some  time,  an  important  town 
at  or  about  one  of  these  places. 

St.  Helen  is  the  county -seat  of  Columbia  County, 
and  is  situated  at  the  junction  of  the  lower  Wallamct 
with  the  Columbia  lliver.  The  country  back  of  it,  for 
about  seven  miles,  is  a  series  of  benches,  the  first  two  or 
three  of  which  are  sparsely  and  picturesquely  wooded, 
while  the  liiglicr  ones  are  well  covered  with  timber. 
These  benches  are  good  farming  and  fruit  lands,  but 
not  so  fertile  as  the  bottom-lands  adjacent  to  the 
town- site — those  of  Sauvie's  Island,  and  those  on  the 


TRIBUTARIES   OF   THE   LOWER   C0LU5IBIA.  73 

opposite  side  of  the  Columbia — all  of  which  country 
may  be  considered  tributary  to  St.  Helen,  and,  being 
well  settled  up,  furnishes  the  present  local  trade  of 
that  place. 

Scappoose  Bay  is  a  sort  of  bayou  of  the  lower  Wal- 
lamet,  which  sets  back  a  distance  of  seven  miles,  and 
receives  the  waters  of  the  ]\Ulton  Creek — a  fine  water- 
power  which  might  be  turned  upon  the  town -site  of 
St.  Helen,  or  made  to  furnish  water -works  for  that 
place.  There  are,  also,  some  fine  grazing  farms  along 
Scappoose  Bay  on  land  subject  to  annual  overflow. 

Extensive  beds  of  the  richest  iron  ore  lie  adjacent 
to  the  township;  coal  exists  in  the  mountains,  six 
miles  back;  water-power  and  timber  are  plenty;  while 
ships,  of  any  size  that  can  come  into  the  Columlna, 
can  lie  alongside  the  natural  wharves  of  trap -rock, 
that  will  keep  ofl",  forever,  any  encroachments  which 
the  river  might  make  on  a  shore  of  sand.  The  views 
from  the  town -site  are  beautiful — from  the  bench, 
just  back,  magnificent.  Game  abounds  in  the  vicini- 
ty: black  bear,  deer,  grouse,  partridges,  and  quail  in 
the  woods,  and  trout  in  the  streams. 

The  countr}'  lying  opposite  St.  Helen  is  the  finest 
on  the  lower  Columbia.  The  Cathlapootle,  or,  Lewis 
River,  rises  in  Mount  St.  Helen,  and,  flowing  south- 
westwardly,  falls  into  the  Columbia  opposite  the  town 
of  St.  Helen.  This  river  is  a  small  and  rapid  stream, 
whose  waters  are  as  pure,  cold,  and  clear  as  their 
mountain  -  springs.  The  valley  of  the  main,  or  north, 
fork  of  the  Cathlapootle  is  a  rich,  warm  tract  of 
country,  producing  excellent  grain,  fruit,  vegetables, 
butter,  and  honey.  It  also  raises  stock  for  market,  to 
a  considerable  extent.  The  road,  or  cattle -trail,  from 
the  Wallamet  Valley  to  Puget  Sound,  passes  up  this 

6 


74  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

valley  for  some  little  distance.  Annually,  large  num- 
bers of  cattle  and  sheep  are  driven  to  a  market,  on 
the  Sound,  by  this  trail,  which,  for  want  of  a  suitable 
ferry  from  St.  Helen  across,  is  not  much  used  for 
wagons. 

Another  stream  comes  into  the  Columbia,  within  the 
sixteenth  of  a  mile  of  tha  Cathlapootle.  This  is  the 
Calapooya,  or  Lake  River,  which  rises  in  a  small  lake 
near  Vancouver,  twenty -five  miles  to  the  east,  and 
flows  nearly  parallel  with  the  Columbia,  until  it  emp- 
ties into  it.  There  is  a  large  tract  of  excellent  farm- 
ing land  along  this  river,  also,  most  of  which  is  already 
settled  up.  The  farmers,  from  both  tliese  valleys, 
bring  their  produce  to  St.  Helen  to  exchange  for 
goods.  The  tide,  at  this  point  on 'the  river,  rises 
about  four  feet. 

As  we  pass  along  up  the  Columbia  from  this  point, 
we  notice  that  the  shores  are  level  on  both  sides;  for, 
here,  within  a  distance  of  twenty  miles,  the  Cathla- 
pootle, Lake,  and  lower  and  upper  Wallamct  enter 
the  great  river.  On  the  right  is  the  fertile  Sauvie's 
Island ;  on  the  left  the  bottom  -  lands,  belonging  equal- 
ly to  Lake  and  Columbia  rivers — each  shore  densely 
wooded  with  Cottonwood,  ash,  and  willow,  while,  at  a 
distance  of  several  miles  back,  on  either  side,  we  be- 
hold the  fir -clad  highlands.  This  continues,  without 
variation,  to  the  head  of  Sauvie's  Island,  where  a 
group  of  small  islands,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Wallamct, 
give  grace  and  variety  to  the  river -view. 

Passing  the  mouth  of  the  Wallamet,  we  find  that 
we  are  actually  passing  the  foot  of  the  Wallamet 
Yalley,  and  that  the  flat  country  on  the  left  extends 
all  tlie  way  from  the  mouth  of  ijake  Iviver  to  the  foot- 
liills  of  the  Cascades;  but,  growing  narrower  as  we 


TRIBUTAEIES   OF   THE    LOWER   COLUMBIA.  75 

r.oar  the  mountains,  is  but  the  continuation  of  the 
Wallamet  Valley  into  Washington  Territory,  accord- 
ing to  the  rule  before  noticed  for  the  tributaries  of 
the  Columbia.  Though  this  level  country  is  now 
covered  with  timber,  it  must,  from  its  alluvial  nature, 
Avhen  cleared,  prove  very  excellent  farming  land. 
That  portion  of  it  nearest  the  river  is  subject  to  the 
annual  overflow;  but  there  is  no  difficulty  in  deter- 
mining the  limits  of  submersion,  for,  wherever  fir- 
trees  are  found,  there  the  high-water  never  comes. 

At  a  distance  of  about  six  miles  above  the  Wallamet 
we  come  to  the  town  of  Vancouver,  on  the  Washing- 
ton side.  Tills  place  is  beautifully  situated  on  a  slop- 
ing plain,  with  a  strip  of  velvety -looking  meadow 
land  on  its  river -front.  It  is  the  old  head-quarters  of 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  in  Oregon,  where  resided, 
for  more  than  twenty -five  years,  the  Governor  and 
Cliief  Factors  of  that  company,  nominally  holding 
"joint  possession,"  with  the  United  States,  of  the 
whole  Oregon  Territory,  but,  really,  for  the  greater 
portion  of  that  time,  holding  it  alone. 

Here  lived  in  bachelorhood,  or  with  wives  of  Indian 
descent,  a  little  colony  of  •  educated,  and  refined  men, 
who,  by  the  conditions  of  their  servitude  to  the  Lon- 
don Company,  were  forced  to  lead  a  life  of  almost 
monastic  seclusion.  True,  it  happened  sometimes 
that  naturalists,  adventurous  travelers,  and  others 
drifted  to  this  comfortable  haven  in  the  wilderness, 
and,  by  their  talk,  made  a  little  variety  for  the  re- 
cluses; and  very  hospitable  they  found  them — ready 
to  provide  every  civilized  luxury  their  fort  contained, 
without  money  and  without  price,  so  long  as  it  suited 
thein  to  remain. 

There  are  few  traces  now  of  the  old,  stockaded  fort. 


76  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

When  the  British  Company  abandoned  it,  the  United 
States  Government  took  possession  of  it  for  a  post; 
and,  now,  the  traveler  beholds  scattered  over  the  plain 
a  town  of  a  thousand  inhabitants,  and,  bordering  on 
it,  the  well-kept  garrison  grounds  of  the  United  States 
troops,  with  the  neat  officers'  quarters  encircling  it. 

Vancouver  had,  at  one  time,  water  enough  alongside 
her  fine  wdiarves  to  accommodate  large  vessels  easily; 
but,  now,  a  sand-bar  is  said  to  be  forming  in  front 
of  the  town,  which  is  rapidl}-  ruining  her  prospects 
of  becoming  an  important  river-port.  There  is,  prob- 
abl}?",  no  place  along  this  low,  alluvial  land  suited  to 
the  purposes  of  a  large  commerce.  The  changes  like- 
ly to  occur  from  the  action  of  the  annual  flood  on  the 
sandy  shores  can  hardly  be  calculated.  Yet  Van- 
couver must  always  remain  the  chief  town  of  its 
county,  and  possess  a  good  trade  from  the  agricultural 
country  back  of  it,  which  is  alreadj^  pretty  well  set- 
tled up,  owning  assessable  property  to  the  amount 
of  a  million  of  dollars. 

Above  Vancouver,  for  a  distance  of  twenty  miles, 
there  are  man}^  beautiful  situations  all  along  on  the 
Washington  side,  though  the  country  is  timbered 
heavily.  The  southern  shore  is  lower:  the  Sandy — a 
stream  coming  down  from  ]\[ount  Hood  —  having  its 
entrance  into  the  Columbia  above  and  opposite  Van- 
couver, through  alluvial,  sandy  bottoms.  Beyond  this 
the  whole  surface  of  the  country  becomes  elevated,  and 
we  are  among  the  foot-hills  of  the  Cascade  Mountains. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE    GORGE    OF   THE   COLUMBIA. 

We  arrive  now  at  what  the  tourist  must  ever  regard 
as  the  most  interesting  portion  of  the  river — the  gorge 
of  the  Columbia.  Here  wonder,  curiosity,  and  ad- 
miration combine  to  arouse  sentiments  of  awe  and  de- 
light in  the  beholder.  Entering  hy  the  lower  end  of 
the  gorge,  we  commence  the  passage,  of  fifty  miles  or 
more,  directly  througli  the  solid  mountain  range  of  the 
Cascades.  The  snow-peaks,  which  looked  so  loft}-  at 
the  distance  of  eighty  miles,  as  we  approach  them 
gradually  sink  into  the  mountain  mass,  until  we  lose 
siglit  of  them  entirely.  The  river  narrows,  and  the 
scenery  grows  more  and  more  wild  and  magnificent. 

Fantastic  forms  of  rock — some  with  names  by  which 
they  can  be  recognized — begin  to  attract  our  attention. 
Crow's  Roost  is  a  single,  detached  rock  on  the  right, 
which  time  and  weather  are  slowly  wearing  down  to 
the  "needle"  shape,  so  common  among  the  trappean 
formations.  It  stands  with  its  feet  in  the  river,  at  the 
extremity  of  a  heavily  wooded  point  ;  and  in  tlio  crev- 
ices about  its  base,  and  half-way  up,  good-sized  firs  are 
growing.  Above  the  Crow's  Roost  the  mountains 
tower  higher  and  higher.  Frequently  from  lofty  ledges 
and  terraces  of  rock  silvery  water-falls  are  seen  de- 
scending, hundreds  of  feet,  to  some  basin  hidden  by 
intervening!;  curtains  of  wooded  ridf^'os.  From  the 
steamer's  deck  they  look  like  mere  ribbons  ;  some  of 


78  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON 

them,  indeed,  are  dashed  into  invisible  spray  before 
they  reach  a  level. 

One  of  the  handsomest  of  these  falls  has  been  named 
the  Horse-tail,  by  somebody  more  given  to  ponies  than 
to  poetry.  It  has  a  straight  descent,  of  several  hun- 
dred feet,  to  a  basin  hidden  from  view,  whence  it  de- 
scends by  another  fall  to  the  level  of  the  bottom-land, 
and  forms  another  basin,  or  pool,  among  the  dense 
growth  of  Cottonwood,  ash,  and  willow,  which  every- 
where fringe  the  banks  of  the  river. 

Nearly  opposite  this  foil  is  a  high,  precipitous  wall 
of  reddish  rock,  coming  quite  down  to  the  river,  and 
curving  in  a  rounded  face,  so  as  to  form  a  little  bay 
above.  This  is  the  Cape  Horn  of  the  lower  Colum- 
bia— a  point  where  the  Wind  Spirit  lies  in  wait  for 
canoes  and  other  small  craft,  keeping  them  weather- 
bound for  days  together.  Fine  as  it  is,  steaming  up 
the  Columbia  in  July  weather,  there  are  times  when 
storms  of  wind  and  sand  make  the  voyage  impossible 
to  any  but  a  steam-propelled  vessel.  It  is  at  our  peril 
that  we  invade  the  grand  sanctuaries  of  Nature  in  her 
winter  moods.  The  narrow  channel  of  the  river  among 
the  mountains,  the  heiglit  of  the  overhanging  cliffs  — 
which  coniine  the  wind  as  in  a  funnel — and  the  changes 
of  temperature  to  wliicli,  even  in  summer,  mountain 
localities  are  subject,  make  this  a  stormy  passage  at 
some  periods  of  tlie  year. 

Sitting  out  upon  the  steamer's  deck,  of  a  summer 
morning,  we  are  not  much  troubled  with  visions  of 
storms:  the  scene  is  as  peaceful  as  it  is  magnificent. 
Steaming  ahead,  straight  into  the  lieart  of  the  mount- 
ains, each  moment  affords  a  fresh  delight  to  the  won- 
dering senses.  The  panorama  of  grandeur  and  beauty 
seems  endless.     As  we  approach  the  lower  end  of  the 


THE  GORGE  OF  THE  COLUMBIA.  79 

rapids,  we  find  that  at  the  left  tlie  heights  recede  and 
inclose  a  strip  of  level,  sandy  land,  in  the  midst  of 
which  stands  a  solitary  mountain  (of  basalt)  called 
Castle  Rock,  about  fourteen  hundred  feet  in  altitude. 
IIow  it  came  there,  is  the  question  which  the  beholder 
first  asks  himself,  but  which,  so  far,  has  never  been 
satisfactorily  answered. 

A  mile  or  two  beyond  Castle  Rock,  situated  on  tliis 
bit  of  warm,  sand}^  bottom-land,  is  the  little  mountain 
hamlet  known  as  the  Lower  Cascades.  Why  it  is  that 
one  name  is  made  to  serve  for  so  many  objects,  in  the 
same  locality,  must  ever  puzzle  the  tourist  in  Oregon. 
At  the  Cascades  the  tautology  threatens  to  overwhelm 
us  in  perplexity.  Not  only  is  it  the  Cascade  Range, 
which  the  cascades  of  the  river  cut  in  twain,  but  there 
are  no  less  than  three  j)oints  on  the  north  side,  within 
a  distance  of  six  miles,  known  as  the  Lower,  Middle, 
and  Upper  Cascades.  Pretty  as  the  name  is,  we  weary 
of  it  when  it  is  continually  in  our  mouth. 

It  is  a  pretty  spot,  too,  this  Lower  Cascades,  sur- 
rounded by  majestic  mountains,  and  bordered  b}^  a 
foaming  river  ;  charmingly  nestled  in  thickets  of  blos- 
soming shrubbery,  and  can  regale  its  guests  on  straw- 
berries and  mountain -trout,  llere  the  Oregon  Steam 
Navigation  Company  have  a  wharf  and  warehouse  ;  and 
here  we  take  our  seats  in  the  cars  which  transfer  us  to 
the  Upper  Cascades,  and  another  steamer.  We  find  the 
change  agreeable,  as  a  change,  and  enjoy  intensely  the 
glimpses  of  the  rapids  we  are  passing,  and  the  wonder- 
ful luxuriance  of  vegetation  on  every  side,  coupled 
with  the  grandeur  of  the  towering  mountains. 

At  the  Middle  Cascades  is  a  block-house,  reminding 
us  of  the  Lidian  war  of  1855-6,  and  another  one  at 
the  Upper  Cascades.     It  is  rare  now  to  see  an  Indian 


80  OREGON   AND    WASHINGTON. 

at  this  point,  where  once  they  lived  in  large  numbers, 
and  had  a  famous  fishing  station  ;  and  where,  in  still 
earlier  times,  they  exacted  toll  from  whoever  passed 
that  w^j. 

The  fall  of  the  river  in  the  five  miles  of  rapids  is 
about  sixty  feet ;  but  nowhere  is  there  a  perceptible 
fall  of  many  feet  together.  The  bed  of  the  stream 
seems  to  be  choked  up  with  rocks,  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  suggest  recent  volcanic  agency.  At  the  Upper 
Cascades  the  river  widens  out  again  in  a  lake -like 
expanse,  made  picturesque  with  islands  and  hand- 
somely wooded  shores.  In  truth,  all  that  portion  of 
the  Columbia,  between  the  Upper  Cascades  and  the 
Dalles,  might  very  correctly  be  termed  a  lake  —  so 
little  current  has  it,  and  so  uniformly  great  is  the 
depth  of  water — averaging  forty  feet,  or  twice  the 
depth  of  the  river  below  the  rapids.  From  this  fact, 
and  that  of  the  submergence  of  a  belt  of  trees  on 
either  side  of  the  river,  for  a  long  distance,  the  char- 
acter of  the  hinderance  to  the  flow  of  the  Columbia 
may  be  very  readily  conjectured.  At  some  period, 
long  subsequent  to  the  passage  of  the  river  through 
these  mountains  —  a  passage  which  evidently  it  forced 
for  itself — b}"  some  violent  means,  a  great  quantity  of 
rock  was  thrown  into  the  bed  of  the  stream,  and,  by 
forming  a  dam,  raised  the  level  of  the  water  to  its 
present  height, 

An  effort  has  been  made  to  secure  the  aid  of  Con- 
gress in  removing  tliis  impediment  to  navigation. 
Great  as  would  be  the  benefit,  in  a  commercial  point 
of  view,  of  removing  the  dam  at  tlie  Cascades,  it 
presents  itself  unfiivorably  to  the  mind  of  the  wor- 
shiper at  Nature's  shi'iiics^ — one  of  whose  happiest 
emotions  must  ever  spring  from  the  tliouglit,  lliat  it 


THE  GORGE  OF  THE  COLUMBIA.  81 

is  impossible  for  Man  ever  to  intermeddle  with  the 
eternal  majesty  of  scenes  like  these. 

The  material  to  be  removed  consists  of  a  conglom- 
erate of  fragments  of  trap -rock,  mixed  witli  sand  and 
earth.  Embedded  in  this  conglomerate  are  trunks 
of  trees,  often  silicified  —  sometimes  only  carbonized, 
and  sometimes  both  together.  Of  this  silicified  wood, 
there  are  many  fragments  to  be  found  about  the  Cas- 
cades, embedded  in  the  sand  of  the  bottom-land.  Of 
the  trees  standing  submerged  in  the  margin  of  the 
river,  none  of  them  are  at  all  petrified  ;  though,  from 
the  common  occurrence  of  the  fragments  spoken  of, 
the  belief  commonly  obtains,  that  this  is  a  petrified 
forest.  The  silica,  which  has  entered  into  the  pores 
of  the  silicified  wood  was,  probably,  derived  from 
veins  of  that  earth  contained  in  the  mass  of  conglom- 
erate thrown  into  the  river  from  the  mountains  at 
the  time  of  the  formation  of  the  rapids. 

From  the  deck  of  the  steamer  waiting  for  us  at  the 
end  of  the  railroad  portage,  a  beautiful  picture  is 
spread  out  on  every  side.  The  river  seems  a  lake 
dotted  with  islands,  with  low  shores,  surrounded  by 
mountain  walls.  Almost  the  first  thing  which  strikes 
the  e3^e  is  an  immensely  high  and  bold,  perpendicular 
cliif  of  red  rock,  pointed  at  top  with  the  regularity  of 
a  pyramid,  and  looking  as  if  freshly  split  off  from 
some  other  half  which  has  totally  disappeared.  The 
freshly  broken  appearance  of  this  cliff,  so  difierent 
from  the  worn  and  moss}^  faces  of  most  of  the  rocks 
that  border  the  river,  suo'Sfested  to  the  sava":e  one  of 
his  legends  concerning  the  formation  of  the  Cascades  : 
which  is,  that  ]\Iount  Ilood  and  Mount  Adams  had 
a  quarrel,  and  took  to  throwing  Ore -stones  at  each 
other  ;  and,  with  their  rage  and  struggling,  so  shook 


82  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

the  earth  for  many  miles  around,  that  a  bridge  of  rock 
which  spanned  the  river  at  this  place  was  torn  from 
its  mountain  abutments,  and  cast  in  fragments  into 
the  river.  So  closely  does  legend  sometimes  border 
on.  scientific  fact ! 

While  we  are  making  this  grave  reflection  upon  the 
scientific  truth  of  legends,  some  one  presents  us  with 
a  story,  in  rhyme,  which  he  assures  us  is  the  true, 
original  Indian  legend  of  the  formation  of  those  other 
notable  points  on  the  river  —  the  Dalles,  Ilorse-tail 
Falls,  Crow's  Roost,  as  also  the  Falls  of  the  Wallamct 
and  Mount  Hood.  Making  all  due  allowance  for  poetic 
license  in  some  of  the  details,  the  story  and  the  man- 
ner of  its  telling  are  worthy  of  notice  ;  and  we  give  it 
as  a  pleasing  chapter  of  the  early,  romantic  history  of 
this  romantic  country. 

THE  SONG  OF  KAMIAKIN. 

Should  you  ask  me  where  I  caught  it — 

Caught  this  flame  and  insj^iration  — 

Should  you  ask  me  where  I  got  it — 

Got  this  old  and  true  tradition  — 

I  would  answer,  I  would  tell  you: 

Where  the  virgins  of  the  forest 

Sit  with  quills  thrust  through  their  noses, 

Eating  calmly  cricket  hashes; 

Where  the  tar -head  maid  reposes; 

Where  the  proud  Columbia  dashes. 

Hearing  nothing  but  his  dashing. 

Hias  skookum  (*)  Kamiakin, 

Of  the  vale  of  Klikatata — 

Which  I  know  each  nook  and  track  in 

As  well  as  Johnny  knew  his  Daddy — 

Was  the  chief  of  all  the  Si  wash, 

And  the  great  high-cockalorem  — 

As  his  fathers  were  before  him  — 

(*)  Great -strong. 


THE  GORGE  OF  THE  COLUMBIA.  83 

Of  the  Avinding  Wallametta, 
Which  I  sing— and  say  it  surely 
As  the  jingling  Juniata 
Sounds  as  well;  but  'tis  unpretty, 
Poets  of  the  sunset  sea -rim 
Flying  off  to  Acropolis— 
Very  absurd  it  is,  and  silly  — 
While  the  glassy  Umatilla, 
And  the  classic  Longus  Thomas, 
And  the  grassy  Tuda-Willa, 
All  do  flash  and  flow  before  us. 

Well,  my  hero  Kamiakin 

Was  in  love;  you  know  such  folly 

Must  go  in,  or  something's  lacking 

In  all  great,  good  rhymes  emetic. 

Now,  she  dwelt  in  Walla  Walla; 

But  her  Ma  was  awful  stuck  up; 

And  her  jdIous  Dad,  ascetic, 

'Gainst  our  hero  got  his  back  up; 

And  he  swore  on  stacks  of  bibles, 

Higher  than  the  hay  you  stack  up. 

He  would  sue  for  breeches,  libels; 

He  would  sue  him,  shoot  him,  boot  him — 

That,  in  fact,  he  didn't  suit  him — 

Didn't  vote  the  proper  ticket. 

Now  it  cost  him  like  the  nation 
Going  from  the  land  of  cider 
(You  know  how  these  Navigation 
Fellows  charge  a  horse  and  rider); 
And,  though  he  was  law-abiding, 
To  be  treated  thus  about  her 
He  declared  was  rather  binding, 
And  that  he  wouldn't  go  without  her. 
So  he  strode  a  cajoise  charger 
With  Avhite  eyes,  also  white  as 
Foam  of  creamy,  dreamy  lager 
From  her  nostrils  to  her  caudle ; 
With  a  woolly  sheepskin  folding 
Back  behind  his  jockey  saddle. 
Where  the  giii  could  ride  by  holding. 


84  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

Then  while  Dad  on  the  piazza 

Read  the  latest  act  of  Andy, 

And  the  maid  on  her  piano 

Trilled  a  ditty  for  some  dandy, 

"Chaco,  chaco,  cumtux  mika?"  (*) 

From  afar  in  tones  coyote. 

"Ah,  yon  bet  you,  cumtux  nika,"  (f) 

Sang  the  maiden  sotto  voce 

With  this  sign  the  chieftain  sought  her, 

For  the  old  man's  bull -dog  Touzer 

Would  have  made  it  rather  hot  for 

Kamiakin,  Thane  of  Chowder. 

Kight  and  day  they  flew  like  arrows, 
Till  they  passed  by  sweet  Celilo  : 
"Bully,"  cried  the  chief;  "tomollo's 
Sun  will  see  us  hias  lolo."  (J) 
But  the  old  man  missed  his  daughter; 
Vowing  he  would  catch  and  score  them, 
Took  the  steamer,  and  by  water 
Reached  the  Dalles  the  day  before  them. 

"Stop,  you  bummer,"  yelled  the  Daddy, 

While  the  chief  fled  to  the  river; 

And  the  Dad  pursued,  and  had  q, 

Henr}^ -rifle,  bow  and  quiver. 

Then  the  chief  wished  him  a  beaver — 

Big  or  little,  didn't  mind  him  — 

But  the  gal,  would  you  believe  her. 

Stuck  like  Avax,  tight  on  behind  him. 

Then  she  waved  a  wand  of  willow. 

And  behold  the  mighty  river 

(For  the  maiden  was  a  fairy) 

All  did  surge  and  shake  and  shiver. 

Till  the  banks  did  kiss,  or  nearly, 

And  confine  the  foaming  billow: 

So  they  crossed  without  a  ferry. 

"  Come  back,  come  back,  O  Pickaninny - 
Back  across  the  stormy  water," 


C)  Come,  como— do  you  understaud  me  ? 

(t)  I  uudcristuud  you.  (t)  Far  away. 


THE  GORGE  OF  THE  COLUMBIA.  85 

Cried  the  old  man,  like  a  ninny. 
One  hand  skewed  her  water- fall  up, 
While  the  other  held  her  garter, 
As  they  set  off  at  a  yallop, 
O!  she  looked  majestic,  very, 
As  she  answered,  "Nary,  nary!" 
And  the  river  so  is  flowing, 
Though  wider  washed  a  foot  or  so, 
For  this  was  in  the  gleaming,  glowing, 
Gilded,  golden  long-ago. 

Then  they  fled  far  down  tlie  river, 
But  the  old  man  came  upon  them, 
And  she  cried,  "O  Lord,  deliver!" 
And  she  blew  a  silver  trumpet, 
And  she  cried,  "O  hiac — jump  it," 
Till  the  cayuse  jumped  the  river — 
Jumped  the  awful  j-awning  chasms — 
"With  the  lovers  both  astride  her. 
Ah,  enough  to  throw  in  spasms 
Belles  of  this  sweet  land  of  cider! 
But  the  Daddy,  hot  and  snarling 
At  the  chief  and  chieftain's  darling, 
Hi]}  and  thigh  smote  with  his  sabre, 
"While  the  cuitau  was  crossing, 
And  her  silver  tail  was  tossing; 
And  her  long  tail,  white  and  shaggy. 
Cleft,  where  Tarn  o'  Shanter's  Carlin 
Caufifht  the  tail  of  faithful  Maggie. 


•"oo' 


And  that  horse-tail  still  is  flowing 
From  the  dark  rim  of  the  river. 
Drifting,  shifting,  flowing,  going. 
Like  a  veil  or  vision  flurried, 
But  is  never  combed  or  curried, 
As  a  body  can  diskiver, 

"Verbum  sat,"  now  yelled  the  daughter. 
As  she  with  her  lover  vamosed; 
And  the  Dad  sat  in  the  water 
'Till^he  chilled  and  died,  and  so  was 
Turned  to  stone  forever  arter. 
Now  this  Dad  a  noble  Crow  was. 


86  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

And  a  chief  of  fame  and  power, 

And  is  known  unto  this  hour 

As  the  "Crow-Rock"  or  the  "Crow-Roost." 

"Well,  they  traveled  in  a  canter 
'Till  they  reached  the  sweet  AVallamet, 
And  cried,  "Boatinan,  do  not  tarry; 
We  will  give  three  pound  of  salmon 
If  you'll  row  its  o'er  the  ferry." 
But  he  answered,  "Nary,  nary." 
Then  the  maiden  cried  out,  "Dam  it," 
And  the  stream  was  dammed  instanter. 

So  the  chieftain  reached  his  nation, 
And  his  mother  gave  a  party — ■ 
Gave  a  July  celebration  — 
And  they  dinnered  very  hearty, 
All  on  house  and  salmon  smoky, 
And  then  danced  the  hoky-poky. 

But  her  troubles  grew  the  thicker, 

As  in  truth  so  did  the  maiden. 

For  the  chief  began  to  lick  her, 

And  distract  her  with  uj)braiding; 

But  she  had  to  grin  and  bear  it, 

For  the  gods  had  got  so  mad,  they 

Said  she  never  should  repass  the 

Place  she  left  her  dear  old  Daddy 

So  she  went  up  in  the  hill -tops 

At  the  head  of  the  Molalla, 

For  to  look  at  Walla  Walla; 

And  by  magic  spells  and  hoo-doo — ^ 

For,  you  know,  she  was  a  fairy— 

She  did  manage  soon  to  rear  a 

Mountain  like  the  pile  of  Cheops. 

And  Siwash,  who  saw  her  mammuk,  (*) 

Called  the  peak  "Old  Mountain  Ploo-doo." 

But  there  came  a  Jewish  peddler, 

Packing  head-gear,  hoods,  and  "small  tings" 

(Says  the  Almanac  McCormick). 

And  who  didn't  care  three  fardings 

(*)  Workiug  or  conjuring. 


THE  GORGE  OF  THE  COLUMBIA.  87 

For  this  clear  and  true  tradition — 
As  the  learned  like  me  and  you  do — 
And  made  the  gross  abbreviation 
Of  Mt.  Hood  from  Mountain  Hoo-doo. 

After  this  pleasant  flight  of  imagination,  we  feel 
more  than  ever  prepared  to  appreciate  and  enjoy  our 
day's  travel  amid  scenes  so  suggestive,  only  regretting 
that  the  author  of  the  poem  is  unknown  to  us. 

Badinage  aside,  the  grandeur  of  the  Columbia,  for 
some  miles  above  the  Cascades,  is  so  great  and  over- 
powering that  one  feels  little  disposed  to  attempt  de- 
scription. The  Hudson,  which  has  so  long  been  the 
pride  of  America,  is  but  the  younger  brother  of  the 
Columbia.  Place  a  hundred  Dunderhergs  side  by  side, 
and  you  have  some  idea  of  these  stupendous  bluffs; 
double  the  height  of  the  Palisades,  and  you  can 
form  an  idea  of  these  precipitous  cliffs.  Elevate  the 
dwarfed  evergreens  of  the  Hudson  highlands  into  firs 
and  pines  like  these,  and  then  you  may  compare. 
Considering  the  history,  together  with  the  scenery  of 
this  river,  there  is  no  other  so  complete  in  the  im- 
pressions it  conveys  of  grandeur. 

Down  this  river,  sixty -six  years  ago,  floated  those 
adventurous  explorers,  Lewis  and  Clarke.  Seven  years 
later  the  survivors  of  that  part  of  the  Astor  expedition 
which  came  overland,  were  struggling  along  these  wild 
mountain  shores,  among  inhospitable  tribes,  trj'ing  to 
reach  the  fort  at  the  mouth  of  the  river.  A  few  years 
later  still,  the  "brigade"  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Compa- 
ny, annually,  floated  down  from  their  hunting-grounds 
in  the  Rocky  Mountains,  jubilant  at  the  prospect  of 
soon  reaching  head-quarters — singing  and  dipping  their 
oars  in  time,  while  their  noisy  gayety  was  echoed  and 
re-echoed  from  these  towering  mountain  walls. 


88  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

Twent}' -  eight  years  ago,  the  first  large  immigration 
of  actual  settlers  for  Oregon  came  down  from  the 
Dalles  ill  boats,  furnished  them  by  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company,  with  much  toil  and  danger,  and  some  loss 
of  life.  To-day,  we  tourists  gaze  and  dream  at  our 
leisure,  from  the  deck  of  a  first-class  steamer,  with  all 
our  w'ants  anticipated.  In  another  lustre,  or  in  less 
time  than  that,  the  travel  and  trade  of  one -third  of 
the  continent  may  be  borne  upon  this  great  highway 
of  Nature,  to  and  fro,  between  Orient  and  Occident. 

But  we  have  forgotten  to  observe  the  notable  places. 
"This,"  says  our  Captain,  "is  Wind  Mountain.  The 
Indian  name  answers  to  our  word  enchanted^  from  the 
fact,  probably,  that  when  the  wind  is  foul  it  is  impos- 
sible to  pass  here  with  their  canoes."  On  the  south 
side,  a  few  miles  above  the  Cascades,  is  the  beautiful 
place  of  Mr.  Coe  —  a  fruit  farm  among  the  foot-hills, 
and  facing  the  Columbia.  Here  grow  such  delicious 
peaches  as  are  rarely  ever  raised  west  of  the  mountains. 
A  little  settlement,  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains,  i^ 
called  Hood  River,  from  being  near  tlie  junction  of 
that  river  with  the  Columbia.  Opposite  the  mouth 
of  llood  River  a  very  fine  view  of  Mount  Hood  is 
obtained.  So  near  does  it  seem,  that  we  see  the  glis- 
tening of  the  snow  where  its  cliffs  reflect  the  sun. 
Nearly  opposite,  the  White  Salmon  enters,  cold  from 
the  snows  of  Mount  Adams,  a  glimpse  of  which  we 
catch  between  the  cleft  heights  of  the  river's  gorge. 

The  farther  we  depart  from  the  heart  of  the  mount- 
ains the  more  marked  is  the  change  in  the  character 
and  quantity  of  the  timber.  Firs  liave  entirely  disap- 
peared, while  spruce  and  pine  have  taken  their  places. 
The  form,  too,  of  the  liighlands  is  changed,  being  ar- 
ranged in  long  ridges,  either  parallel  with  tlie  river  or 


THE  GORGE  OF  THE  COLUMBIA.  89 

at  right  angles  to  it,  but  all  very  extensive,  and  form- 
ing benches,  dotted  only  with  trees,  instead  of  being 
heavil}^  wooded,  as  on  the  western  side  of  the  range. 
The  climate,  also,  is  changed,  and  a  dryness  and  warmth 
quite  different  from  the  western  climate  are  observable. 

More  and  more  the  basaltic  formation  constantly  be- 
comes visible,  protruding  from  the  hills  on  cither  side, 
and  often  appearing  to  wall  in  the  river.  Frequently 
it  divides  for  a  little  space,  leaving  the  prettiest  natu- 
ral slips  for  boats,  and  a  clean,  sandy  beach,  on  which 
to  make  a  landing ;  but  only  in  a  few  instances  have 
they  been  taken  possession  of,  settlements  along  the 
river  being  rare.  Occasionally,  however,  some  hardy 
settler  has  taken  up  a  farm  on  the  narrow  strip  of  al- 
luvial land  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains ;  and  doubt- 
less a  great  many  more  might  find  homesteads  in  eligible 
situations  along  the  river,  where  their  nearness  to  mar- 
ket would  enhance  their  value. 

On  nearing  the  Dalles  the  country  opens  out  more 
and  more,  the  terraced  appearance  continuing  quite 
to  that  city,  and  the  basalt  here  presenting  a  columnar 
formation.  We  come  now  to  the  last,  and  by  far  the 
most  singular,  portion  of  the  gorge  of  the  Columbia — 
the  Dalles  of  the  river.  The  river  here  flows  for  fif- 
teen miles  through  a  narrow  channel,  cut  in  solid  trap- 
rock,  and  more  or  less  tortuous.  To  eyes  accustomed 
to  the  broad  expanse  of  the  lower  Columbia,  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  recognize  the  same  river  in  the  narrow,  dark 
current  that  flows  between  walls  of  black,  volcanic 
rock  for  so  many  miles  above  the  Dalles.  The  river 
here  not  being  navigable,  by  reason  of  its  strong,  swift 
current,  its  whirlpools  and  sunken  rocks,  we  are  forced 
to  make  our  observations  from  the  windows  of  the  Ore- 
gon Steam  Navigation  Company's  car,  which  makes  the 


90  OREGON  AND   WASHINGTON. 

portage  to  Celilo.  The  outlook,  fortunately,  is  a  good 
one  ;  and  we  travel  right  along  the  river  -  bank  nearly 
the  whole  distance. 

"What  a  strange  scene  it  is  !  Sand,  rock,  and  water 
— not  uncommon  elements  in  a  pleasing  picture  ;  but 
here  it  is  not  pleasing — it  is  uncanny  to  a  degree.  We 
catch  ourselves  wondering  how  deep  here  must'  be  a 
stream  only  forty  yards  wide,  which  in  other  places  is 
two  thousand  yards  wide,  and  deep  enough  to  float  any 
kind  of  a  ship  ;  for  we  can  not  help  fancying  that  what 
the  river  here  lacks  in  breadth  it  makes  up  in  depth. 
But  we  are  not  aware  that  soundings  have  ever  been 
taken  in  the  Dalles. 

Boats  have  gone  through  this  passage.  In  low-water 
the  barges  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  used  to  run 
the  Dalles.  One  or  two  steamers  have  been  brought 
through  at  a  low  stage  of  water  ;  but  it  is  a  very  peril- 
ous undertaking — ^"much  more  perilous  than  going  over 
the  Cascades  at  higli-water.  We  make  our  observa- 
tions, and  conclude  we  should  not  like  to  take  passage 
on  this  particular  portion  of  the  Columbia.  How  it 
swirls,  how  it  twirls,  how  it  eddies  and  boils ;  how  it 
races  and  chases,  how  it  leaps,  how  it  toils  ;  how  one 
mile  it  rushes,  and  another  it  flows,  as  soft  as  a  love- 
song  sung  "under  the  rose;"  how  in  one  place  it 
seethes,  in  another  is  still,  and  as  smooth  as  the  flume 
of  some  sleepy  old  mill.  A  rock-entroughed  torrent 
like  none  else,  we  pledge  ;  and,  in  truth,  is  a  river  set 
up  on  its  edge. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

FROM    DALLES    TO    WALLULA. 

Dalles  City — or  "The  Dalles,"  as  it  is  commonly 
called — is  a  town  of  about  twelve  hundred  inhabitants, 
situated  on  the  south  side  of  the  Columbia,  at  the 
lower  end  of  the  Dalles  of  the  river.  In  the  early 
history  of  the  country  it  was  fixed  upon  by  the  Meth- 
odists as  a  mission  station  ;  but  failing  in  their  efforts 
to  instruct  the  Indians,  or  intimidated  by  their  warlike 
character,  or  both,  they  relinquished  the  station  to  the 
Presbyterians,  who  held  it  at  the  breaking  out  of  the 
Cayuse  war  in  1847.  On  this  occurrence  the  whole 
country  east  of  the  Cascades  was  abandoned  by  all 
missionaries  of  Protestant  denominations,  and  Dalles 
was  converted  into  a  military  station,  the  mission  build- 
ings having  been  burnt  down. 

"When  the  Donation  Act  was  passed,  giving  missions 
the  ground  previously  occupied  by  them,  the  Methodists 
laid  claim  to  a  portion  of  Dalles.  The  Government, 
however,  had  appropriated  a  portion  of  the  claim  for 
a  military  post,  paying  for  the  part  thus  taken.  The 
Presbyterians  then  disputed  the  claim,  on  the  ground 
that  they  were  in  possession  at  the  breaking  out  of  the 
war,  which  compelled  them  to  quit  the  place,  and  had 
never  abandoned  it,  but  had  a  right  to  return  at  the  ces- 
sation of  hostilities.  The  question  of  ownership  has 
never  yet,  we  believe,  been  satisfactorily  settled. 

The  mining  excitement,  on  the  discovery  of  gold 


92  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

in  Idaho  in  1862-3,  first  gave  Dalles  a  start.  In 
1865  it  was  just  such  a  place  as  one  may  see  in  any 
mining  country — Nevada,  for  instance — a  hastily  built, 
rough-looking  town,  filled  with  restless,  rough-looking 
men.  The  streets  were  dusty,  there  were  no  shade- 
trees,  and  very  little  comfort  anywhere.  Now,  since  the 
mining  excitement  is  done  away  with,  and  only  so  much 
interest  in  it  remains  as  a  legitimate  outfitting  trade 
creates;  and  since  the  people  here  begin  to  under- 
stand the  agricultural  resources  of  the  country  imme- 
diately about  them,  Dalles  has  come  to  be  quite  a 
cheerful  and  handsome  town.  Real  homes  occupy  the 
places  of  hastily  erected  board -houses;  gardens  blos- 
som with  exquisite  flowers;  shade -trees  shelter  and 
adorn  the  promenades;  churches  and  school -houses 
abound;  and  the  place  is  one  of  the  pleasantest  in 
Oregon. 

The  situation  of  Dalles  is  a  fine  one.  Except  in 
great  floods  like  that  of  1862  and  1871,  the  whole 
town  is  above  high -water  mark.  It  rises  gradually 
back  for  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  then  sharply  to  a  second 
well-defined  bench  of  land,  beyond  which  is  a  con- 
siderable ridge.  The  whole  landscape  back  of,  and 
surrounding,  the  town,  is  of  fine  outlines,  and  very 
handsomely  ornamented  with  pine-trees. 

A  number  of  creeks  fall  into  the  Columbia,  near 
Dalles  City.  Taking  a  ride  up  the  little  valley  of  Mill 
Creek,  brought  us  through  the  garrison -grounds — a 
lovely  spot — and  out  past  some  very  pretty  places  and 
well -cultivated  farms.  It  quite  surprised  us  to  come 
upon  such  well-to-do-seeming  farmers,  where  the  gen- 
eral aspect  of  the  country  is  so  uncultivated.  But 
here  is  the  evidence  of  successful  and  profitable  farm- 
ing:  good  houses,  fine  orchards,  grain -fields,  gardens, 


FROM  DALLES  TO  WALLULA.  93 

and  fat  cattle — the  fattest  and  vsleekest  that  ever  we 
remember  to  have  seen — sufficient  proof  of  the  nutri- 
tious qualities  of  "bunch-grass." 

Just  above  the  garrison -grounds  is  a  beautiful  view 
of  Mount  Adams,  and  another  of  Mount  Ilood.  The 
little  stream  we  are  following  up  seems  as  if  it  came 
directly  from  the  latter  mountain,  which  does  not  look 
far  off,  but  very  real  and  solid,  and  near.  We  fancy 
that  an  hour's  ride  would  take  us  up  among  the  highest 
firs,  quite  to  the  glistening  snow-lields;  but  it  is  forty 
miles  away,  still,  with  a  very  rough  country  between 
hither  and  yon,  so  that  our  hour  would  have  to  be 
lengthened  to  very  many. 

Chenoweth  Creek,  Three-mile  Creek,  and  Five  and 
Fifteen-mile  Creek  Valleys  are  all  occupied  by  settlers. 
In  every  new  country  the  first -comers  choose  the 
creek -bottoms  and  lowest  valley  -  lands ;  especially  in 
so  dry  a  country  as  Eastern  Oregon  they  have  been 
considered  of  the  greatest  value.  But  farmers  are 
commencing  to  experiment  with  wheat -growing  on 
the  uplands.  To  their  own  surprise  they  find  the  hills 
to  be  good  grain  -  fields.  Once  the  prejudice  against 
the  high -and -dry,  rolling  plains  is  done  away  with, 
there  is  no  estimating  the  results;  and  yet  we  should 
say,  on  sight,  that  this  country  was  only  fit  for  grazing. 
So  the  fertile  plains  of  California  were  once  considered 
worthless  for  cultivation. 

Wasco  County,  of  which  Dalles  is  the  shire-town, 
extends  along  the  Columbia  River  fully  sixty  miles, 
and  toward  the  south  nearly  two  hundred,  covering  an 
immense  amount  of  territory  ;  and  is  drained  by  two 
rivers,  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  and  two  hundred  miles 
in  length.  The  whole  population,  probably,  does  not 
reach  four  thousand  j   all  those  out  of  Dalles  being 


94  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

either  settlers  on  the  small  streams,  or  miners  on  the 
head- waters  of  John  Day's  River.  Therefore  Dalles 
has  not  yet  much  back  country  to  sustain  it.  We  are 
convinced,  however,  that  in  two  or  three  years  more  a 
great  change  will  have  taken  place  in  this  respect,  and 
that  portions  of  Wasco  County,  hitherto  entirely  over- 
looked, will  be  made  to  "blossom  as  the  rose." 

A  United  States  branch  Mint  had  been  partially  con- 
structed at  Dalles,  which  was  designed  to  coin  the  prod- 
ucts of  the  mines  of  Montana,  Idaho,  and  Eastern 
Oregon  ;  but  the  opening  of  the  Central  Pacific  Rail- 
road, and  the  diversion  of  bullion  to  the  Philadelphia 
Mint  consequent  upon  it,  have  rendered  a  branch  at 
Dalles  superfluous  ;  and  the  building  will  probably  be 
converted  to  other  purposes.  A  woolen  mill  has  also 
lately  been  erected,  which  is  to  be  supplied  with  mate- 
rial from  the  plains  of  Wasco  County.  A  fine  flouring 
mill  manufactures  a  brand  of  "best  Oregon  ;"  the  Ore- 
gon Steam  Navigation  Company  have  their  machine- 
shops  on  a  small  island  at  the  mouth  of  Mill  Creek  ; 
and  trades  in  general  do  a  good  business  at  this  place. 
Churches  and  schools  prosper  among  the  Dalles  people, 
and  the  population  is  rather  more  than  ordinarily  in- 
telligent. 

The  name  of  Wascos  was  given  to  this  division  of 
the  Des  Chutes — so  runs  the  Indian  legend  —  in  the 
following  manner  :  The  Indians  being  collected  at  the 
fishery,  a  favorite  spot  for  taking  salmon,  about  three 
miles  from  Winquat,  one  of  them  was  so  unlucky  as  to 
lose  his  squaw,  the  mother  of  his  children,  one  of  whom 
was  yet  only  a  babe.  This  babe  would  not  be  com- 
forted, and  the  other  children,  being  young,  were  clam- 
orous for  thoir  mother.  In  tliis  trying  position,  with 
these  wailing  little  ones  on  his  awkward  masculine 


FROM  DALLES  TO  WALLULA.  95 

hands,  the  ftxther  was  compelled  to  give  up  fishing  and 
betake  himself  to  amusing  his  babies.  Many  expedi- 
ents having  failed,  he  at  length  found  that  they  were 
diverted  by  seeing  him  pick  cavities  in  the  rocks  in 
the  form  of  basins,  which  they  could  fill  with  water  or 
pebbles,  and  accordingly,  as  many  a  patient  mother 
does  every  da^^,  adapted  himself  to  the  taste  and  capac- 
ities of  his  children,  and  made  any  number  of  basins 
they  required.  Wasco  being  the  name  of  a  kind  of 
horn  basin  which  is  in  use  among  the  Des  Chutes,  his 
associates  gave  the  name  to  this  devoted  father  in  ridi- 
cule of  his  domestic  qualities  ;  and  afterward,  when  he 
had  resolved  to  found  a  village  at  Winquat,  and  drew 
many  of  his  people  after  him,  they  continued  to  call 
them  all  Wascos,  or  basins.  To-day  the  tribe  is  little 
known,  but  the  county  of  which  Dalles  is  the  metropo- 
lis bears  the  name  onco  given  in  derision  to  a  poor,  per- 
plexed father  for  descending  to  the  office  of  basin- 
maker  for  his  children. 

The  original  Indian  name  of  the  place  where  Dalles 
stands  was  Winquat,  signifying  ''surrounded  by  rocky 
cliffs."  There  are  many  Indian  names  attached  to  points 
in  this  neighborhood  of  poetical  significations.  ''Alone 
in  its  beauty"  is  the  translation  of  Gai-galt-iche-h-leth, 
the  name  of  a  fine  spring  near  town.  "The  mountain 
denoting  the  sun's  travel"  is  the  meaning  of  Shim-im- 
I'lath,  a  high  hill  south  of  town,  etc. 

About  three  miles  above  Dalles  is  a  noted  fishery  of 
the  Indians,  as  mentioned  above,  and  opposite  to  it  is 
the  site  of  the  Indian  village  of  Wlshram,  spoken  of 
by  the  earliest  writers  on  Oregon.  No  village  exists 
there  now — at  least  not  any  thing  which  could  well  be 
recognized  as  such.  Like  the  ancient  Chinook,  it  has 
dwindled  to  nothing. 


90  OREGON   AND    WASHINGTON. 

Just  opposite  to  Dalles  is  a  handful  of  rather  indif- 
ferent houses,  constituting  the  village  of  Rockland,  in 
the  county  of  Klikitat,  Washington  Territory. 

Aside  from  the  river  itself  there  is  little  to  interest 
one  between  Dalles  City  and  Celilo,  the  upper  end  of 
the  gorge  of  the  Columbia.  There  are  rocks  all  about 
in  every  direction,  a  little  grass,  a  great  deal  of  sand,  and 
some  very  brilliant  flowers  growing  out  of  it.  There 
are  also  a  few  Indian  lodges,  with  salmon  drying  inside, 
whose  rich  orange  color  shows  through  the  open  door- 
way like  a  flame  ;  and  a  few  Indians  fishing  with  a  net, 
their  long  black  hair  falling  over  their  shoulders,  and 
blowing  into  their  eyes  in  a  most  inconvenient  fashion. 
But  every  thing  about  an  Indian's  dress  is  inconvenient, 
except  the  ease  with  which  it  is  put  on !  Some  of 
these  younger  savages  have  ignored  dressing  altogether 
as  a  fatigue  not  to  be  undertaken,  until  with  increasing 
years  an  increase  of  strength  shall  be  arrived  at. 

The  railroad  takes  us  along  under  overhanging  cliff's 
of  plutonic  rock,  one  of  which  is  called  Cape  Horn, 
like  its  brother  of  the  lower  Columbia.  As  we  near 
Celilo  we  discover  that  we  have  by  no  means  left  be- 
hind high  banks  and  noble  outlines.  Just  here,  where 
we  re-embark  for  the  continuance  of  the  up-river  vo}'- 
age,  is  a  wide  expanse  of  tumbling  rapids,  between  lofty 
blui^s,  rising  precipitously  from  a  narrow,  sandy  beach. 

Of  Celilo  there  is  not  much  more  than  the  immense 
warehouse  of  the  Oregon  Steam  Navigation  Company, 
nine  hundred  feet  in  length — built  in  the  flush  times 
of  gold  mining  in  the  upper  country — and  the  other 
buildings  required  by  the  company's  business.  Lying 
along  the  shores,  in  little  coves,  arc  numerous  sailing 
craft  of  small  size,  which  carry  frciglit  from  point  to 
point  on  the  river  above.     The  sun  of  an  unclouded 


FROM  DALLES  TO  WALLULA.  97 

morning  gilds  their  white  sails,  and  sparkles  in  the 
dancing  rapids.  The  meadow-lark's  voice — loud,  clear, 
and  sweet — reaches  us  from  the  overhanging  banks. 
It  is  at  once  a  wild  and  a  peaceful  scene. 

A  short  distance  above  Celilo  the  Des  Chutes  River 
empties  into  the  Columbia,  through  a  deep  canyon.  A 
remarkable  feature  of  the  rivers  of  Eastern  Oregon  is 
the  depth  of  their  beds  below  the  surfiice  of  the  coun- 
try which  borders  them.  The  Des  Chutes  flows  through 
a  canyon  in  places  more  than  a  thousand  feet  deep. 
Where  it  enters  the  Columbia  its  banks  are  not  so  high, 
because  the  great  river  itself  has  its  course  through  the 
lowest  portions  of  the  elevated  plains;  and  its  bed  is 
nowhere  at  any  very  great  elevation  above  the  sea-level. 
At  the  Dalles,  two  hundred  miles  from  the  sea,  the  level 
of  the  river  is  one  hundred  and  nineteen  feet  above  it ; 
and  the  Walla  Walla  Valley,  at  a  distance  of  three  hun- 
dred and  fifty  miles,  has  an  elevation  of  a  few  feet  over 
four  hundred.  Away  from,  the  Columbia,  the  elevation 
of  the  plains  varies  from  live  hundred  to  twenty -five 
hundred  feet.  Hence  the  great  depth  of  the  canyons 
of  streams  flowing  on  the  same  level  with  the  great 
river. 

Along  this  portion  of  the  Columbia  the  traveler  has 
plenty  of  time  to  conjecture  the  future  of  so  remarka- 
ble a  country — not  being  startled  by  constantl}^  recur- 
ring wonders,  as  he  might  have  been  on  the  lower 
portion  of  the  river.  There  certainly  is  great  majesty 
and  grace  expressed  in  the  lofty  forms  and  noble  out- 
lines of  the  overhanging  bluff's  which  border  the  river 
for  great  distances  ;  and  that  is  all.  There  is  neither 
the  smoothness  of  art,  nor  the  wildness  which  rocks 
and  trees  impart  to  natural  scenes  ;  and  the  simple 
beauty  of  long,  curving  lines  becomes  monotonous.     If 


98  OREGON    AND    WASHINGTON. 

it  be  summer,  tliere  are  patches  of  color  on  the  sere- 
looking,  grassy  heights  ;  rosy  clarkia,  blue  lupine^  and 
golden  sunflower.  We  hear  the  voices  of  multitudes 
of  meadow-larks  ;  and  see  a  few  prairie-hens  stooping 
their  long  necks  shyly  among  the  bunch-grass  ;  or  dis- 
cover at  long  intervals  a  cabin,  or  a  flat-boat,  or  a  band 
of  Indian  ponies  feeding. 

We  have  leisure  to  study  the  peculiarities  of  this  re- 
gion :  A  great  river,  with  a  fertile  country  on  either 
side  of  it,  extending  for  hundreds  of  miles  back,  and 
having  an  annual  "rise"  as  regular  as  that  of  the  Nile. 
But  this  overflow  does  not  affect  the  lands  bordering 
upon  it,  because  they  are  too  high.  What  then?  Is 
the  country  unproductive?  No.  It  is  a  dnj^  but  not  a 
rainless  country.  Rain  falls  at  intervals  from  Septem- 
ber to  June.  Light  snows  cover  the  ground  a  portion 
of  the  winter  season.  The  soil  is  of  a  mellow  quality 
that  does  not  bake  with  drought. 

The  first  explorers  of  these  high  plains  gave  it  as 
their  opinion  that  trees  would  not  grow  below  an  ele- 
vation of  two  thousand  feet,  and  that  the  lands  adjoin- 
ing the  Columbia  were  only  fit  for  grazing.  This 
opinion,  either  borrowed  from  the  early  explorers,  or 
suggested  by  the  absence  of  trees  in  a  wild  state,  was 
also  held  by  the  first  settlers  ;  not  only  with  regard  to 
trees,  but  to  all  kinds  of  grain  as  well.  There  certainly 
could  have  been  no  more  unpromising  ground  for  the 
planting  out  of  trees  than  that  at  Dalles.  Yet,  after 
four  years  of  experiments,  the  streets  of  Dalles  are 
lined  with  thrifty  young  shade-trees,  and  its  gardens 
filled  with  fruit-bearing  trees.  Experiments  with  wheat 
have  shown  that  it  is  not  the  bottom-lands  alone  which 
will  produce  crops,  but  the  hills  and  ridges  back  from 
tiie  rivers. 


FROM   DALLES   TO   WALLULA.  99 

At  Walla  Walla — the  lowest  point  near  the  centre  of 
the  Columbia  River  Plains — we  are  told  that  the  same 
results  Imve  been  obtained  from  experiments  there. 
Five  years  ago  Walla  Walla  was  a  seemingly  barren 
spot ;  now  its  homes  are  embowered  in  shade  from 
trees  of  a  most  astonishingly  rapid  growth.  The  wheat 
product  of  the  Walla  Walla  Valley  is  no  longer  pro- 
cured from  its  creek-bottoms  alone,  but  farms  are  be- 
ing laid  out  more  and  more  among  the  rolling  hills. 
Irrigation,  where  it  can  be  made  available,  is  resorted 
to  ;  but  from  what  we  have  learned,  we  have  great  faith 
in  the  soil  and  climate  to  produce  all  that  is  necessary 
to  man's  support. 

Civilization  began  in  either  hemisphere  in  the  rain- 
less countries  of  Egypt,  Peru,  and  Mexico.  The  reason 
is  evident.  Civilization  depends  on  the  ease  and  se- 
curity with  which  man  harvests  the  fruits  of  his  fields. 
The  crop  in  the  Nile  Valley  was  unfailing,  from  the  cer- 
tainty and  uniform  duration  of  the  Nile  overflow.  In 
Peru,  from  the  constant  presence  of  moisture  elimina- 
ted from  the  atmosphere  in  the  form  of  heavy  dews, 
the  cultivation  of  the  earth  repaid  man's  labor  surely. 
On  the  high  table-lands  of  Mexico  irrigation  was  nec- 
essar}'',  but  once  accomplished,  there,  too,  agriculture 
flourished  unfailingly  ;  and  men,  instead  of  roaming 
from  place  to  place,  settled  and  remained,  until  civili- 
zation arose  and  declined,  by  the  natural  processes  of 
the  growth  and  decay  of  nations, 

In  these  countries,  superior  intelligence  also  resulted 
from  the  dryness  of  the  climate;  as  it  is  well  known  a 
pure,  dry  air  is  stimulating  to  the  mental  faculties, 
while  a  moist,  dull,  or  cloudy  atmosphere  is  depressing. 
It  is  evident  that  men  in  a  savage  state,  having  the 
obstacles  of  want  and   ignorance  to  overcome,   have 


100  OREGON   AND    WASHINGTON. 

been  aided  by  these  circumstances.  Nor  are  they  to 
be  overlooked  in  considering  the  future  of  countries 
in  the  infancy  of  their  development.  The  Columbia 
River  Plains,  owing  to  their  elevation  above  the  level 
of  the  draining  streams,  will  probably  require  a  sys- 
tem of  irrigation  by  artesian  wells,  except  those  parts 
bordering  on  mountains  whence  water  can  be  con- 
ducted with  comparative  ease.  With  this  addition  to 
the  amount  of  moisture  furnished  by  the  light  rains 
and  occasional  snows  of  winter,  this  great  extent  of 
country,  now  given  up  to  the  pasturage  of  Indian 
horses  and  a  few  bands  of  cattle,  might  be  made  to 
support  a  dense  population,  producing  for  them  every 
grain  and  fruit  of  the  temperate  zone,  in  the  highest 
perfection. 

We  are  told,  that  when  the  missionaries  went,  in 
183G,  to  look  for  a  suitable  place  for  a  mission  farm 
and  station  in  the  Walla  Walla  Valley,  they  estimated 
that  there  were  about  ten  acres  of  cultivable  ground 
within  thirty  miles  of  the  Columbia  River  ;  and  that 
was  a  piece  of  creek-bottom  at  the  junction  of  a  small 
stream  with  the  Walla  Walla  RiVer.  These  same  ex- 
plorers decided,  that  there  were  small  patches  of  six 
or  ten  acres,  in  places,  at  the  foot  of  the  Blue  ^lount- 
ains,  which  might  be  farmed.  As  for  the  remainder 
of  the  country,  it  was  a  desert  waste,  whose  alkaline 
properties  made  it  unfit  for  any  use.  A  few  years' 
experience  changed  the  estimate  put  upon  the  soil  of 
the  AValla  Walla  Valley  ;  and  now  it  is  known  to  be 
one  of  the  most  fruitful  portions  of  the  Pacific  Coast, 
and  the  quality  of  the  soil  really  inexhaustible — its 
alkaline  properties  supplying  the  place  of  many  expen- 
sive manures.  And  yet  the  capacity  of  the  phiins  for 
cultivation  has  only  just  begun  to  be  comprehended 


FROM  DALLES  TO  WALLULA.  101 

Thirty -one  miles  above  Dalles,  we  pass  the  mouth 
of  the  John  Day  River — a  stream,  in  all  respects, 
similar  to  the  Des  Chutes — with  the  same  narrow  val- 
ley, and  the  same  depth  below  the  general  level  of  the 
country.  What  bottom-land  there  is  along  this  river 
is  already  taken  up,  and  there  are  mining-camps  upon 
its  head-waters,  from  which  a  steady  gold  product  has 
been  derived  for  the  last  eight  years.  The  high  bluff's 
intervening  between  the  Columbia  and  the  interior 
country  quite  conceal  any  appearances  of  settlement, 
and  leave  upon  the  mind  the  impression  of  an  alto- 
gether uninhabited  country — an  impression  quite  erro- 
neous in  fact,  though  there  are  thousands  of  square 
miles  still  vacant. 

Willow  Creek  is  a  small  stream,  coming  into  the 
Columbia  thirty -three  miles  above  John  Day  River, 
with  a  small,  fertile  valley  well  settled  up.  After  an 
interval  of  another  thirty -three  miles,  we  find  our- 
selves at  Umatilla — a  small  town  set  in  the  sands  at 
the  mouth  of  the  river  of  that  name.  It  serves  sim- 
ply as  a  port  to  the  mines  of  Eastern  Oregon,  and,  as 
such,  has  a  trade  disproportionally  large  for  its  size. 
Here  the  steamers  disembark  their  passengers  and 
freight;  and  the  stages  and  pack-trains  take  up  what 
the  steamer  leaves,  to  convey  it  to  the  interior  and 
the  mines. 

The  Umatilla  River,  on  account  of  its  valley,  is  one 
of  the  most  important  streams  of  Eastern  Oregon. 
The  Umatilla  Valley,  together  with  the  bottom-lands 
of  several  tributary  creeks,  furnishes  a  fine  tract  of 
rich,  alluvial  land,  having  a  high  reputation  for  its 
agricultural  capacity.  About  seven  thousand  acres, 
nearly  all  bottom-land,  are  under  cultivation  in  Uma- 
tilla County,  the  whole  area  of  which  is  over  forty- 


102  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

seven  thousand  square  miles.  Of  course,  large  bodies 
of  land  are  open  for  settlement;  the  variety  of  surface, 
in  this  county,  ranging  from  mountainous  and  wooded 
to  rolling  prairie,  covered  with  bunch-grass,  and  last- 
ly, the  narrow,  but  rich  bottoms  of  streams,  rendering 
it  easy  to  select  a  farm  or  a  timber  claim,  as  may  be 
preferred. 

There  is  an  Indian  Reservation  in  the  Umatilla 
Valley,  where  some  farming  is  done  by  the  Indians. 
Efforts  have  several  times  been  made  to  have  this 
reservation  opened  for  settlement ;  but,  probably,  this 
will  not  be  accomplished,  as  the  Indians  have  no  wish 
to  sell.  At  an  Agricultural  Fair,  held  in  this  county, 
in  18G4,  the  Indians  took  prizes  on  garden  products. 
Indian  corn,  melons,  vegetables,  and  fruits  of  all  kinds 
attain  great  perfection  in  the  Umatilla  Valley,  which 
is  cultivable  for  a  length  of  about  sixty  miles. 

Thirty -five  miles  up  the  valley  is  the  small,  new 
town  of  Pendleton — the  county- seat,  beautifully  lo- 
cated, and  situated  on  the  main  lines  of  travel.  A  fine 
court-house  is  already  erected  by  subscription  of  the 
citizens  of  the  county.  There  is  an  excellent  water- 
power  in  the  vicinity,  and  every  natural  facility  for 
convenient  settlement.  On  the  Indian  Reservation, 
close  by,  are  a  saw -mill  and  grist-mill,  and,  in  other 
parts  of  the  county,  six  other  mills  manufticturing 
lumber;  the  timber  for  which  is  all  procured  from  the 
forests  of  the  Blue  Mountains — the  lumbering  region 
of  all  this  portion  of  Oregon,  and  of  the  south-eastern 
portion  of  Washington.  There  are  about  eiglit  hundred 
square  miles  of  timber  belonging  to  Umatilla  County. 
The  Indians  on  the  reservation  are  the  remnants  of 
the  Umatilla,  Cayuse,  and  AValla  Walla  tribes,  and 
number,  altogether,  less  than  one  thousand.     They 


FROM  DALLES  TO  WALLULA.  lUd 

arc  a  partially  civilized  and  peaceable  people  ;  yet 
whose  presence  as  neighbors  can  not  be  particularly  de- 
sirable. Their  territory  is  unnecessarily  large,  amount- 
ing to  a  square  mile  to  each  individual. 

All  the  way  from  the  Cascade  Mountains  to  Uma- 
tilla— a  hundred  miles,  more  or  less — we  have  found 
the  rivers  all  coming  into  the  Columbia  from  the  south 
side.  Rising  in  the  Blue  Mountains,  which  traverse 
the  eastern  lialf  of  Oregon  from  north-east  to  south- 
west, they  flow  in  nearly  direct  courses  to  the  Colum- 
bia, showing  thereby  the  greater  elevation  of  the  cen- 
tral portion  of  Eastern  Oregon  over  the  valley  of  the 
Columbia.  At  the  junction  of  the  Umatilla  the  Colum- 
bia makes  a  great  bend,  and  flows  nearly  parallel  with 
the  Cascade  Range  instead  of  perpendicularly  to  it, 
receiving  the  rivers  flowing  east  from  the  Cascades. 

It  is  nearly  sunset  when  the  steamer  quits  Umatilla 
to  finish  the  voyage  we  have  entered  upon,  at  Wallula — 
a  distance  of  twenty -five  miles  farther  up  stream,  in  a 
direction  a  little  east  of  north.  We  steam  along  in 
the  rosy  sunset  and  purple  twilight,  by  which  the  hills 
are  clothed  in  royal  dyes.  About  eight  in  the  evening 
we  arrive  at  "Wallula,  too  late  to  be  aware  of  the  waste 
of  sand  and  gravel  in  which  it  is  situated,  and  late 
enough  to  feel  the  need  of  rest ;  for  albeit  there  is 
little  enough  of  activity  in  steamer  travel,  there  is 
plenty  of  fatigue,  especially  when  one  is  sight -seeing, 
with  the  faculties  of  memory  and  attention  continually 
on  the  alert. 

Wallula  is  the  port  of  Walla  Walla  Valley,  and  was 
long  a  post  of  the  Hudson's  Ba}^  Company.  As  a 
site  for  a  town,  it  has  much  to  recommend  it,  in  the 
way  of  beauty  and  convenient  location ;  and,  also, 
much  to  condemn  it  in  the  matter  of  high  winds,  sand, 


104  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

and  the  total  absence  of  vegetation.  The  bluffs  bor- 
dering the  Columbia  at  this  place  repeat  those  har- 
monies of  grandeur  with  grace,  which  won  remark 
from  us  on  other  portions  of  the  river.  The  Walla 
Walla  River,  which  comes  in  just  here,  is  a  very  pretty 
stream,  with,  however,  very  little  bottom-land  near 
the  Columbia. 

The  sand  of  Wallula  is  something  to  be  dreaded. 
It  insinuates  itself  everywhere.  You  find  it  scattered 
over  the  plate  on  which  you  are  to  dine ;  piled  up  in  lit- 
tle hillocks  in  the  corner  of  your  wash-stand ;  dredged 
over  the  pillows  on  which  you  thoughtlessly  sink  your 
weary  head,  without  stopping  to  shake  them;  setting 
your  teeth  on  edge  with  grit,  everywhere.  And  this 
ocean  of  sand  extends  several  miles  back  from  the 
river,  on  the  stage -road  to  Walla  Walla,  whither  we 
are  going.  Let  us  hope  for  such  a  merciful  interposi- 
tion as  a  shower! 


CHAPTER    IX. 

WALLA    WALLA    VALLEY. 

If  one  does  find  the  great  billows  of  gravelly  sand 
rather  disagreeable  to  travel  over,  the  first  half-dozen 
miles  out  of  Wallula,  there  is  compensation  in  behold- 
ing the  singular  profusion  of  bright-tinted  flowers  that 
grow  broadcast  over  the  whole  expanse — an  example 
of  the  way  in  which  the  beautiful  may  flourish  where 
the  useful  can  not  get  a  foothold. 

A  ride  of  three  or  four  hours  brings  us  to  the  cross- 
ing of  the  Touchet  (pronounced  Too-sJiay),  the  princi- 
pal branch  of  the  Walla  Walla  River.  The  course  of 
the  Walla  Walla  is  nearly  due  west,  and  we  are  travel- 
ing in  a  parallel  course  toward  the  east.  The  Touchet 
has  its  rise  in  the  same  mountain  of  the  Blue  Range 
where  the  Walla  Walla  heads,  but  from  the  opposite, 
or  north  side  of  the  butte,  which  is  called  Round 
Mountain.  Its  course  is  north-west,  west,  and  south- 
west, to  its  junction  with  the  Walla  Walla,  describing 
a  semicircle,  of  which  the  Walla  Walla  is  the  base. 
In  the  same  manner  all  the  important  tributaries  of 
this  river  rise  in  Round  Mountain,  describe  a  lesser 
semicircle  inside  of  the  Touchet,  and  fall  into  the 
Walla  Walla  at  about  equal  distances  from  each  other : 
an  arrangement  by  which  this  valley  is  exceedingly 
well  watered ;  these  creeks  having  other  smaller  ones 
tributary  to  them,  and  all  flowing  so  near  the  surface 
of  the  ground  as  to  be  easily  turned  aside  for  purposes 

8 


106  OREGON    AND    WASHINGTON. 

of  irrigation.  The  Touchet,  at  the  crossing  just  men- 
tioned, is  a  narrow  stream  flowing  between  banks  of 
rich,  black  alluvium,  with  narrow  bottoms  of  the  same, 
covered  with  a  tall,  coarse  rye -grass.  A  few  farms 
have  been  commenced  on  the  bottom-land,  that  look 
very  lonely  in  so  great  a  waste  of  uncultivated,  per- 
haps uncultivable  country;  for  we  have  left  behind  the 
sand  and  gravel,  and  come  into  a  section  where  there 
are  nothing  but  rolling  hills  of  a  light -colored  earth, 
so  fine  and  powdery  that  where  the  road  has  been  used 
for  a  season,  great  canyons  exist — the  wheels  of  wag- 
ons and  tread  of  animals  having  pulverized  the  soil, 
and  the  wind  lifted  and  carried  it  away,  leaving  these 
deep  cuts.  This  same  ashen  soil  supports  an  abundant 
crop  of  the  nutritious  bunch-grass,  and  ought,  tlierefore, 
under  a  system  of  irrigation,  to  be  able  to  produce  the 
cereals. 

This  ashen  soil  is  certainly  not  pleasant  to  journey 
over  in  summer  ;  and  it  is  with  real  gratitude  that  the 
longed-for  shower  is  welcomed,  bringing  an  abatement 
of  both  dust  and  sunshine.  A  half-dozen  miles  from 
Walla  Walla  city,  at  the  crossing  of  Dry  Creek,  the 
aspect  of  the  country  changes.  Instead  of  rolling  hills 
covered  with  bunch-grass,  between  the  roots  of  which 
the  gray  earth  is  always  visible,  we  come  to  a  beauti- 
ful, level  basin  of  land,  bounded  by  the  foot-hills  of 
the  Blue  Mountains  on  the  cast,  and  stretching  away 
off  into  undulating  prairies  on  every  other  side.  The 
first  glimpse  of  this  lovely  valley  is  very  cheering 
indeed. 

Perhaps  it  is  partly  by  contrast  that  the  town  of 
Walla  Walla  impresses  itself  so  pleasantly  upon  the  be- 
holder on  first  entering  it  from  the  direction  of  Wal- 
lula.     It  does,  at  all  events,  surprise  the  traveler  with 


WALLA    WALLA    VALLEY.  107 

its  aspect  of  cheerfulness  and  thrift,  with  its  neat  resi- 
dences and  embowering  trees,  and  the  general  air  of 
comfort  and  stability  which  it  presents.  The  popula- 
tion of  Walla  Walla  city  is  in  the  neighborhood  of  fif- 
teen hundred.  Its  trade  is  derived  from  a  well-to-do 
farming  community,  and  from  outfitting  for  the  mines 
of  Idaho  and  Montana.  Judging  from  the  thronged 
appearance  of  the  streets,  the  merchants  are  doing  a 
profitable  business. 

Walla  Walla  enjoys  the  luxury  of  plenty  of  pure, 
bright,  sparkling  water.  Mill  Creek,  one  of  the  sev- 
eral semicircular  streams  before  spoken  of,  passes 
through  the  town,  and  is  diverted  into  a  hundred  tiny 
rivulets  which  course  through  its  length  and  breadth, 
laughing,  and  glinting  in  and  out  every  body's  garden, 
carrying  coolness,  fertility,  and  music  to  each  well- 
kept  homestead.  The  flowers,  vegetables,  and  fruits 
of  Walla  Walla  gardens  attest  the  use  and  the  worth  of 
these  tiny  canals. 

In  educational  and  religious  institutions  Walla  Walla 
is  very  well  represented.  The  Whitman  Seminary  was 
chartered  in  the  winter  of  1859-60,  and  built  in  18G7 
by  subscriptions  from  the  people,  to  commemorate  the 
services  and  sufferings  of  the  Missionary  martyr.  Dr. 
Marcus  Whitman,  who,  with  his  wife,  and  others,  was 
murdered  by  the  Cayuse  Indians,  in  November,  1847. 
Out  of  this  germ  will  probably  grow  the  future  Uni- 
versity of  the  Walla  Walla  Valley.  Aside  from  this 
institution,  there  are  two  high-schools  in  Walla  Walla 
—  one  Protestant,  and  one  Catholic  ;  and  a  Teachers' 
Institute,  organized  in  the  summer  of  1870,  besides  a 
number  of  public  schools.  Of  churches  there  are  sev- 
eral, well  attended,  and  with  flourishing  memberships. 
There  are  two  weekly  newspapers,  and  a  lieal  Estate 


108  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

Gazette,  published  here.  The  city  has  two  Masonic 
Lodges,  one  of  Odd -Fellows,  and  one  of  Good  Tem- 
plars. It  has  telegraphic  connection  with  Portland 
and  San  Francisco,  and  only  needs  a  railroad  to  make 
it  a  young  metropolis.  Walla  Walla,  by  tlie  way,  is  the 
residence  of  Mr.  Philip  Ritz,  whose  intelligent  efforts 
to  get  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  through  this  val- 
ley entitle  him  to  the  gratitude  of  its  people. 

The  visitor  to  Walla  Walla  is  expected  to  visit  the 
site  of  the  Waiilatpa  Mission  ;  and  to  one  acquainted 
with  its  history  this  is  not  an  uninteresting  excursion. 
The  "place  of  rye-grass"  is  the  meaning  of  Waiilatpa, 
and  just  describes  the  point  of  bottom-land  between 
the  Walla  Walla  River  and  Mill  Creek,  near  their  junc- 
tion. It  could  never  have  been  a  very  cheerful  place,, 
being  shut  in  by  higher  rolling  prairie  from  an}^  ex- 
tended view  ;  but  was  chosen-according  to  the  rules  of 
all  pioneers:  water,  and  a  piece  of  bottom-land.  Be- 
sides, as  mentioned  elsewhere,  the  first  explorers  of 
the  country  did  not  understand  it,  and  believed  they 
had  secured  the  only  fertile  spot  when  they  settled  on 
a  low  bit  of  creek-bottom. 

Waiilatpa  is  just  that — a  creek-bottom — the  creeks 
on  either  side  of  it  fringed  with  trees ;  higher  land 
sliutting  out  the  view  in  front ;  isolation  and  solitude 
the  most  striking  features  of  the  place.  Yet  here  came 
a  man  and  a  woman  to  live  and  to  labor  among  savages, 
when  all  the  old  Oregon  Territory  was  an  Indian  coun- 
try. Here  stood  the  station  erected  by  them  :  adobe 
houses,  a  mill,  a  school -house  for  the  Indians,  shops, 
and  all  the  necessary  appurtenances  of  an  isolated  set- 
tlement. Nothing  remains  to-day  but  mounds  of  earth, 
into  which  the  adobes  were  dissolved  by  weather,  after 
burning.     Among  the  ruins  are  fragments   of   burnt 


WALLA  WALLA  VALLEY.  109 

glass,  iron,  earthenware,  and  charcoal — sole  evidences 
that  these  heaps  of  earth  are  not  like-  any  mounds  of 
the  prairie  round  about. 

A  few  rods  away,  on  the  side  of  a  hill,  is  a  different 
mound  :  the  common  grave  of  fourteen  victims  of  sav- 
age superstition,  jealousy,  and  wrath.  It  is  roughly 
inclosed  by  a  board  fence,  and  has  not  a  shrub  or  a 
flower  to  disguise  its  terrible  significance.  The  most 
affecting  reminders  of  wasted  effort  wliicli  remain  on 
the  old  mission-grounds  are  the  two  or  three  apple-trees 
which  escaped  the  general  destruction,  and  the  scarlet 
poppies,  wdiich  are  scattered  broadcast  through  the 
creek-bottom,,  near  the  houses.  Sadly  significant  it  is, 
that  the  flower  whose  evanescent  bloom  is  the  symbol 
of  unenduring  joys,  should  be  the  only  tangible  wit- 
ness left  of  the  womanly  tastes  and  labors  of  the  de- 
voted Missionary  who  gave  her  life  a  sacrifice  to 
ungrateful  Indian  savagery. 

The  place  is  occupied,  at  present,  by  one  of  Dr. 
Whitman's  early  friends  and  co- laborers,  who  claimed 
the  mission-grounds  under  the  Donation  Act,  and  who 
was  first  and  most  active  in  founding  the  seminary  to 
the  memory  of  a  Christian  gentleman  and  martyr. 
On  the  identical  spot  where  stood  the  Doctor's  resi- 
dence, now  stands  the  more  modern  one  of  his  friend ; 
and  he  seems  to  take  a  melanchol}'  pleasure  in  keep- 
ing in  remembrance  the  events  of  that  unhappy  time, 
which  threw  a  gloom  over  the  whole  territory  west  of 
the  llocky  ^Mountains, 

The  Walla  Walla  Valley  covers  an  area  of  eight  thou- 
sand square  miles^  or  5,120,000  acres,  and  is  contained 
within  the  boundaries  of  the  Columbia  River  on  the 
west,  the  Snake  River  on  the  north  and  cast,  and  the 
Blue  Mountains  on  the  east  and  south.     It  occupies  a 


110  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

position  nearly  central  with  regard  to  the  great  plain 
of  the  Columbia,  and  also  the  lowest  point  in  it,  being 
only  four  hundred  feet  higher  than  the  northern  end 
of  the  Wallamet  Valley,  or  very  little  more  above  the 
sea-level  than  the  head  of  that  valley,  notwithstanding 
the  general  difference  in  elevation  between  the  coun- 
try east  and  west  of  the  Cascade  Range.  The  greater 
portion  of  the  Walla' Walla  Valley  belongs  to  Wash- 
ington Territory;  but  a  portion  of  it  extends  over  into 
Oregon,  and  touches  upon  the  Umatilla  country,  which 
it  resembles. 

The  Government  surveys  have  been  extended  over 
820,000  acres.  Of  this,  about  150,000  acres  have  been 
taken  up,  and  about  20,000  acres  more  of  unsurveyed 
lands  settled  upon.  According  to  the  census  of  1870, 
the  whole  number  of  acres  improved  in  the  county 
of  Walla  Walla,  in  Washington  Territory,  is  03,377. 
Its  population  is  seven  thousand  ;  and  the  valuation 
of  property,  real  and  personal,  over  three  millions, 
with  no  county  indebtedness.  The  stock  statistics  of 
1870  show  5,787  horses,  1,727  mules,  14,114  neat 
cattle,  8,7G7  sheep,  and  5,0G7  hogs.  The  cultivated 
land  was  divided,  for  that  year,  as  follows:  Wheat, 
9,5G1  acres;  oats,  5,317;  barley,  1,314;  timothy, 
1,522;  corn,  2,795;  besides  smaller  crops  of  rye, 
buckwheat,  etc.  The  number  of  fruit-trees  in  the 
county,  60,525;  flouring -mills,  eight;  saw-mills,  four. 
The  grain  crop,  including  wheat,  Indian  corn,  barley, 
oats,  and  rye,  for  the  year  1871,  or  the  crop  now  in 
the  ground,  is  estimated  by  the  millers  and  others 
competent  to  judge,  at  one  million  bushels  ;  and  the 
fruit  crop,  for  this  year,  much  larger  than  ever  before. 
Those  figures  give  a  very  flattering  idea  of  an  interior 
county  only  opened   to  settlement  eleven  years  ago, 


WALLA  WALLA  VALLEY. 


Ill 


when    the   military   prohibition,    consequent   on   the 
Indian  wars,  was  removed. 

From  a  practical  farmer  and  fruit-grower  in  the 
suburbs  of  Walla  Walla  city,  we  obtained  the  follow- 
ing estimate  of  the  productiveness  of  the  valley,  and 
the  season  for  harvesting  grains  and  fruits: 


AVERAGE 

YIELD    PEK    ACRE. 

25  bushels -wheat. 

Fruit  from  seven-year-old  irees  and 

30 

oats. 

vines. 

30 

barley 

40,000 

pounds 

apples. 

40 

corn. 

30,000 

peaches. 

20 

rye. 

40,000 

pears. 

40 

peas. 

50,000 

plums. 

36 

beans. 

20,000 

chenies. 

500 

potatoes. 

40,000 

grapes. 

200 

iweet  do 

15,000 

blackberries. 

300 

turnips. 

15,000 

raspberries. 

1,000 

carrots. 

5,000 

gooseberries. 

800 

parsnips. 

10,000 

currants. 

20,000  pounds  cabbage. 
2^  tons      hay. 


YIELD  OF   EACH   TREE,    VINE,    PLANT,    AND   SHRUB. 


Bear  from  graft  in  three  years. 


Ist  yea,T.  2d  year. 

Applea 20  lbs.  . .  50  lbs. 

Peaches 15    "  . .  35    " 

Pears   20    "  ..50    " 

Plums 20    "  ..  50    " 

Cherries 5    "     ..15    " 

t 

From  off-shoot. 

1st  year.  2d  year. 

Blackberries 3  Ihs. 

Baspberries 

Strawberries 

Grapes  (at  2  years) 
Gooseberries  (at  2  y'rs). 
Currants  (at  2  years) 
Pie-plants  (at  2  years) 


..    Slbs,- 

..10    " 

..    H" 

..10    " 

..    5    " 

-.    ^    " 

..20    " 

3d  year. 

125  lbs. 
100  " 
125  " 
125  " 
50  " 


3d  year. 

15  lbs. 

20  " 

2  " 

25  " 

10  " 

10  " 

20  " 


4th  year. 

250  lbs. 
200  " 
250  " 
250  " 
100  " 


4th  year. 

35  lbs. 

40  " 

2  " 

75  " 

20  " 

20  " 

10  " 


112  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

The  various  cereals  and  fruits  of  this  valley  are 
harvested  as  follows  : 

"Wheat,  from  the  24th  of  June  to  10th  of  July. 
Oats,  from  1st  of  July  to  20th  of  July. 
Barley,  from  20th  of  June  to  1st  of  July. 
Kye,  from  1st  of  July  to  10th  of  July. 
Corn,  from  20th  of  Au^st  to  10th  of  September. 
Strawberiies,  from  1st  of  May  to  10th  of  June. 
Raspberries,  from  10th  of  June  to  20th  of  July 
Blackberries,  from  25th  of  June  to  1st  of  August. 
GoosebeiTies,  from  20th  of  June  to  1st  of  July. 
Cherries,  from  20th  of  May  to  1st  of  July. 

The  prices  of  labor  range  as  follows  : 

Wages  for  farm  laborers,  per  month $35  00 

Average  wages  of  day  laborers  ("svithout  board) 2  50 

Average  wages  of  day  laborers  (with  board) 1  50 

Carpenters,  per  day 4  00 

Female  domestics,  j)er-week 7  00 

Number  of  farms  in  the  county 654 

Number  of  schools  in  the  county 41 

The  climate  of  the  Walla  "Walla  Yalley  is,  on  the 
whole,  a  pleasant  one.  The  average  temperature  is 
mild — about  like  that  of  Washington  city  ;  but  less 
liable  to  sudden  and  disagreeable  changes.  The  win- 
ters are  occasionally  severe;  but,  generally,  snow  does 
not  remain  on  the  ground  longer  than  from  four  to 
ten  days.  Stock  live  and  thrive,  without  care,  on  the 
natural  pastures,  both  in  summer  and  winter;  yet, 
doubtless,  some  provision  ought  to  be  made  against 
the  possibility  of  a  period  of  cold  and  snow.  The 
spring  and  autumn  weather  is  delightful,  with  light 
rains  and  occasional  thunder -showers.  The  summer 
is  warm  and  dry,  with  some;  windy  days,  when  the  dust 
is  inconveniently  omnipresent. 


WALLA  WALLA  VALLEY.  113 

This  is  the  climate  not  only  of  Walla  Walla,  but  of 
nearly  the  whole  eastern  portion  of  Oregon  and  Wash- 
ington—  ranging  from  a  mean  winter  temperature  of 
thirty -five  degrees  to  a  mean  summer  temperature  of 
seventy  degrees  at  Dalles,  and  from  forty -one  degrees 
to  seventy  degrees  at  Walla  Walla  ;  the  winters  being 
warmest  at  the  latter  place,  and  the  summers  about 
equal.  Owing  to  the  dryness  and  puiity  of  the  air, 
the  "atmosphere  is  never  sultry,  as  in  the  Atlantic 
States,  however  warm  it  may  be,  and  sun  -  strokes  are 
almost  unknown  ;  wdiile  both  men  and  animals  can 
endure  to  labor  in  the  sun  at  a  much  higher  tempera- 
ture than  in  moister  climates.  Neither  do  violent  wind- 
storms visit  this  country,  such  as  are  experienced  in 
the  Mississippi  Valley  ;  nor  earthquakes  give  people 
tremors,  as  in  California.  There  have  been  one  or 
two  instances  of  the  sudden  rise  of  streams  at  the 
foot  of  the  mountains,  from  a  cloud-burst  above,  and 
the  crops  have  been  washed  out  of  the  soil  by  the 
sudden  deluge.  But  these  things  are  unusual,  and  are 
also  a  warnins;  against  building  houses  in  narrow  val- 
leys,  beside  streams  which  head  in  the  mountains.  A 
higher  location  is  at  once  more  healthful  and  more 
safe,  in  any  country. 

We  were  invited  out  into  the  foot-hills,  to  visit  a 
farm  opened  only  the  year  before,  where  this  accident 
by  cloud-burst  had  destroyed  the  promising  young 
orchard,  garden,  and  a  portion  of  the  grain  crop  of 
the  first  year ;  but  owing  to  the  fertility  of  the  soil, 
and  length  of  the  growing  season,  the  injury  was,  in  a 
measure,  repaired  the  same  year.  When  we  were 
there,  during  the  first  week  in  June,  the  rye  in  a  field 
on  the  hill -side  stood  seven  feet  high,  with  occasional 
bunches  several  inches  higher.     The  farmer — a  young 


114  OREGON  AND   WASHINGTON. 

man  from  Iowa — was  entirely  satisfied  with  his  new 
home,  and  was  about  to  build  a  homestead  on  one  of 
the  sloping  hill -sides  of  his  farm,  above  high -water 
mark,  from  the  sudden  flood  of  the  previous  summer. 
We  were  also  sliown,  at  one  of  the  farms,  the  fleece 
of  a  Cotswold  sheep,  with  a  staple  thirteen  inches  in 
length,  and  glossy  as  silk. 

There  is  no  timber  in  the  "Walla  Walla  Yalley  except 
the  Cottonwood,  birch,  alder,  and  willow,  which  grow 
along  the  streams.  The  farmers  are  compelled  to  go 
to  the  Blue  Mountains — generally  a  distance  of  fifteen 
miles — for  timber  for  fencing,  and  lumber  for  building. 
Yet  every  farm  is  well  fenced,  and  the  farm-houses  are 
better  and  neater-looking  than  those  first  erected  in 
timbered  countries,  and  for  obvious  reasons.  The 
ugly,  but  substantial  log- house,  once  erected,  lasts  a 
generation,  and  is  tolerated  from  use.  But  where  it 
is  impossible  to  build  such  a  dwelling,  and  where  sawed 
lumber  must  be  used,  it  is  generally  thought  worth  a 
little  extra  effort  to  put  up  something  that  the  farmer 
will  not  want  to  tear  down  in  his  life-time. 

A  ride  through  the  Walla  Walla  Valley,  along  the 
line  of  the  stage -road,  shows  us  the  most  cultivated 
portions,  and  a  great  deal  of  delightful  country  that  is 
in  its  natural  state.  The  face  of  the  country  is  undu- 
lating— covered  with  grass  and  flowers.  Fat,  sleek- 
hided  cattle  feed  in  herds  on  a  hundred  hills.  As  we 
jog  easily  along  over  smooth  roads,  we  enjoy  the  clear, 
bracing  air,  the  cloudless  sk}^,  the  glimpses  of  cultiva- 
tion in  wayside  nooks,  the  flowers,  the  birds — the  whole 
breezy,  peaceful,  harmonious  landscape. 

The  only  game  whicli  we  notice  is  of  the  bird  kind 
— prairie-hens  and  curlews.  The  latter  amuse  us  much 
with  th(;ir  noisy,  silly  ways,  and  awkward  style  of  run- 


WALLA  WALLA  VALLEY.  115 

ning  or  flying.  Tliinking  to  learn  something  of  natu- 
ral history,  we  inquire  of  the  driver  of  the  mail  (who, 
by  the  way,  is  from  Maine)  the  use  of  the  curlew's 
four  or  five  inches  of  bill.  The  Yankee  response  is, 
"I  don't  know,  unless  it  is  to  cat  out  of  a  bottle!" 
That  reminds  us  to  tell  him  about  the  man  who  became 
excessively  fat  eating  mush  and  milk  out  of  a  jug  with 
a  knitting-needle. 

Coming  to  the  valley  of  Dry  Creek  we  behold  a  new 
phase  of  this  country.  Dry  Creek  has  bottom-land 
just  wide  enough,  by  intersecting  it  with  transverse 
parallel  lines,  to  make  a  row  of  farms  extending  its 
whole  length.  The  views  we  catch  of  this  winding 
belt  of  cultivation  are  perfectly  charming — like  the  ef- 
fects in  a  picture.  Tints  of  green,  yellow,  and  brown, 
in  the  fields  ;  russets  and  grays  ;  white  houses  in  the 
midst  of  orchards  and  gardens  ;  the  beautiful  forms  of 
native  and  cultivated  trees  grouped  about  the  houses, 
or  fringing  the  creek  ;  cattle,  sheep,  and  fowls,  giving 
life  to  the  picture;  or,  better  still,  the  farmer,  with  his 
children,  coming  in  from  the  hay -field  on  the  loaded 
wagon.  While  we  gaze  delighted,  from  every  side  the 
meadow-lark  trills  its  liquid  melody,  in  notes  of  exulta- 
tion peculiarly  infectious  ;  and  we  find  ourselves  won- 
dering why  we  have  not  always  preferred  the  country 
to  the  town. 

A  ride  of  eighteen  miles  brings  us  to  the  Touchet ; 
not  the  Touchet  as  we-saw  it  at  the  first  crossing  on  the 
road  from  AVallula,  but  a  beautiful  stream,  with  a  gravel 
bottom,  wooded  banks,  picturesque  bluffs,  and  an  open, 
handsome  valley.  And  here,  at  the  crossing,  is  the 
promising  new  town  of  Waitsburg.  As  the  history  of 
this  place  may  serve  as  a  hint  to  future  pioneers  in  this 
country,  we  give  it  as  it  was  told  to  us. 


116  OREGON    AND   WASHINGTON. 

Six  years  ago  a  gentleman  named  Wait  came  here,  in 
the  winter  season,  and  by  dint  of  indefatigable  exer- 
tion succeeded  in  erecting  a  flouring- mill  before  the 
next  harvest.  At  that  time  there  was  no  mill  within 
a  long  distance,  and  the  need  of  one  was  felt  by  the 
whole  farming  community  of  the  Touchet.  In  less 
than  two  months  after  it  was  running,  Mr.  Wait's  mill 
joaid  him  five  thousand  dollars.  Soon  tradesmen  of 
different  kinds  settled  near  the  mill ;  stores  and  a  hotel 
followed,  and  in  a  short  time  a  village  had  sprung  up, 
which  to-day  has  an  appearance  the  most  enterprising 
and  thrifty  of  any  town  except  Walla  Walla  in  the 
whole  valley.  Judging  by  the  farm-wagons,  the  sleek 
horses,  the  well-dressed  farmers'  families,  and  brisk 
trade  at  the  stores,  we  should  say  that  the  Touchet  was 
the  farmer's  land  of  Canaan. 

Waitsburg  has  a  school-house,  which  is  its  just  pride, 
and  that  serves  at  present  both  as  church  and  school 
building.  There  are  sixty  pupils  in  attendance,  and 
a  teacher  of  ability  employed,  at  good  wages,  who  also 
employs  an  assistant.  Good  morals  and  good  ordec 
seem  fashionable  in  Waitsburg — a  great  recommenda- 
tion to  a  new  place  in  a  new  country.  There  is  con- 
siderable outfitting  for  the  mines  done  at  this  place, 
which  is  on  the  direct  road  to  Idaho. 

A  ride  which  we  took  out  amo;\g  the  hills  of  the 
rolling  prairie,  convinced  us  that  the  bottom-lands 
were  not  the  only  grain -fields  of  Walla  Walla  Valley. 
Water  is  found  by  sinking  wells  to  a  reasonable  depth ; 
and  springs  occur  frequently  in  the  ravines,  from  which 
water  can  be  conducted,  if  needed,  to  irrigate  lands  on 
a  lower  level.  We  noticed  several  new  farms,  one  or 
two  years  old,  where  there  was  the  promise  of  future 
abundance  and  comfort;  and  here,  as  everywhere  that 


WALLA  WALLA   VALLEY.  117 

the  bunch-grass  grows,  we  observe  the  fine  looks  of  the 
stock  subsisting  entirely  upon  it. 

Beyond  Waitsburg  the  road  follows  along  tlie  Tou- 
chet  Valley  for  twenty  miles,  past  a  constant  succes- 
sion of  farms,  with  neat,  commodious  dwellings,  and  a 
neat,  commodious,  white -painted  school -house,  every 
few  miles  of  the  way.  With  such  beginnings,  the  peo- 
ple of  the  Walla  Walla  Valley  are  on  the  high  road  to 
wealth  and  eminent  social  position,  in  the  future  of 
the  State  of  Washington. 

After  leaving  the  Touchet,  the  road  takes  a  course 
at  right  angles  to  all  the  streams,  keeping  up  on  the 
high  ground  except  at  the  crossings.  From  the  great- 
est elevations  there  are  splendid  views — wonderful  for 
extent,  and  rather  awful ;  inasmuch  as  we  are  able  to 
realize  that  we  are  traveling  like  the  fly  on  the  orange, 
and  can  look  down  its  slopes  to  dizzy  descents  of  curva- 
ture. The  crossings  of  the  Tucanon  and  Alpowah  riv- 
ers are  any  thing  but  agreeable  coupons  of  travel.  The 
liill  of  the  Tucanon  is  frightful.  Seeing  the  prepara- 
•tions  made  for  the  descent,  prepares  us  for  something  of 
a  hill ;  but  when  once  started  down  the  narrow,  wind- 
ing grade,  with  the  coach  seemingl}^  minded  to  tumble 
over  the  backs  of  the  horses,  it  is  the  most  natural 
thing  in  the  world  to  wish  we  had  not  undertaken  tlie 
ride  down.  Walking,  we  reflect,  if  not  an  easy  mode 
of  locomotion,  has  the  advantage  of  being  eminently 
safe,  compared  to  this.  A  mile  and  a  quarter  of  such 
reflection  prepares  us  to  be  thoroughly  glad  when  the 
lowest  level  is  reached,  and  we  are  in  the  little  valley 
of  the  Tucanon,  where  again  we  find  farms  and  pretty 
groves  of  glossy-leaved  cottonwood.  At  the  Alpowah 
we  repeat  the  dizzying  descent,  with  this  dillcrence, 
that  once  down  we  do  not  have  to  climb  up  again 


118  OREGON    AND   WASHINGTON. 

on  the  other  side,  but  keep  along  its  little  valley  to 
its  junction  with  the  Snake,  when  we  have  reached 
the  extreme  limits  of  the  Walla  Walla  Valley  on  the 
north-east. 

The  Alpowah  is  a  shallow,  but  unfailing  stream, 
with  a  small,  fertile  border  of  bottom-land,  cultivated 
chiefly  by  the  Nez  Perce  Indians.  The  corn  and 
melon -vines  look  unusually  thrifty,  and  occasionally 
quite  a  comfortable  house  is  to  be  seen  ;  but,  gener- 
ally, a  wigwam  of  matting,  or  a  tent  of  skins,  suffices 
for  the  requirements  of  these  restless  people.  So 
near  the  Snake  River  the  characteristics  of  Idaho 
begin  to  appear  ;  excessive  heat,  and  splendid  flower- 
ing cacti,  making  gorgeous  the  hot  sands  of  the  river- 
side. 

To  sum  up,  before  leaving  it,  the  advantages  of  the 
Walla  Walla  Valley :  we  find  that  it  is  lovely  in  aspect, 
fertile,  of  a  mild  temperature,  and  well  situated  with 
regard  to  river  and  railroad  transportation  and  markets, 
both  east  and  west.  The  area  of  country  upon  the 
north-west  coast,  which  will  produce  peaches,  Indian 
corn,  sugar-cane,  sweet -potatoes,  melons,  and  grapes, 
as  well  as  the  cereals,  is  limited,  and  confined  almost 
exclusively  to  the  territory  east  of  the  Cascades.  There- 
fore, this  valley  has  a  double  value,  inasmuch  as  it  will 
produce  all  these  fruits,  in  addition  to  grains.  It  has, 
besides,  innumerable  facilities  for  manufacture,  espe- 
cially for  woolen  goods — the  water-power  and  the  wool 
being  abundant.  Nothing  is  lacking  except  railroad 
communications  with  the  Columbia  River  and  the  East, 
to  establish  its  importance  ;  and  that  is  what  its  citi- 
zens are  nuw  struggling  to  obtain. 


CHAPTER  X. 

A   GLIMPSE   AT    IDAHO    AND    WASHINGTON. 

Lewiston,  in  Idaho,  where  we  find  ourselves  waiting 
for  the  semi-weekly  steamer  from  the  Dalles,  is  a  place 
of  only  a  few  hundred  inhabitants,  situated  on  a  sand- 
spit  at  the  junction  of  the  Clearv/ater  with  the  Snake 
River,  and  between  the  two  rivers.  Immensely  high 
bluffs  of  picturesque  forms,  bordering  the  northern 
shore  of  either,  redeem  the  place  from  the  appearance 
of  insipidity  which  dead  levels  and  barren  sands 
ordinarily  conspire  to  produce.  In  a  business  point 
of  view,  the  location  is  a  good  one,  whenever  the 
development  of  the  country,  by  means  of  settlement, 
shall  demand  a  commercial  centre.  In  flush  mining 
times  it  was  a  lively  place,  being  at  the  head  of  con- 
tinuous navigation  on  the  Columbia  and  Snake  rivers. 
The  most  interesting  of  its  institutions,  to-day,  is  the 
depot  for  pack  -  h'ains,  where  miners'  property  is  re- 
ceived, taken  care  of,  and  released  to  the  owners  upon 
the  payment  of  certain  dues. 

Like  Dalles  and  Walla  Walla,  Lewiston  was  at  first 
considered  hopeless  as  a  soil  for  trees  and  flowers  ;  but 
within  three  years  past,  their  cultivation  has  been 
undertaken,  with  every  prospect  of  gratifying  success. 
We  remark  about  Lewiston  the  same  appropriation  of 
high  lands  to  wheat-growing  that  we  have  connncnted 
upon  at  Dalles.  In  fact,  the  highest  level  ground,  in 
sight  from  Lewiston,  is  a  table  on  top  of  the  extremely 


120  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

high  bluff  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Clearwater ;  and 
this  elevated  plain  is  waving  with  green  wheat -fields  : 
that  is,  we  take  it  for  granted  the  wheat  must  be 
waving,  up  in  that  breezy  locality — and  waving  is  the 
conventional  term  for  all  cereals. 

Lewiston  is  not  without  its  notable  resorts,  of  which 
a  trout  lake,  about  twenty  miles  away,  is  one  ;  and 
many  are  the  fisliing  parties  who  resort  there  to  enjoy 
a  catch  and  a  basket-dinner. 

"We  did  not  take  time  to  visit  the  lake,  but  did  take 
a  ride  out  to  Lapwai,  the  old  mission  station,  and, 
more  recently,  military  post  and  Indian  Agency.  The 
road  to  the  Agency  leads  over  the  high  prairie,  where 
we  find  the  tall  grass  —  actually  waving,  this  time  —  in 
the  fresh  breeze  of  morning,  and  very  delightful  it 
looks.  The  surface  of  the  country  about  us  is  only 
slightly  rolling,  and  covered  with  a  bountiful  crop  of 
grass,  which  is  rapidly  being  made  into  hay  by  a 
mowing-machine.  Here,  as  everywhere  we  have  trav- 
eled east  of  the  Cascades,  are  the  same  varieties  of 
flowers,  in  the  same  profusion;  the  same  ever-present 
choir  of  sweet -throated  larks;  the  prairie-hen,  and 
grouse,  and  curlew.  One  other  bird,  the  oriole,  has 
its  nest  swinging  from  the  branches  of  the  cotton- 
woods  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Agency. 

The  little  valley  of  the  Lapwai  is  exceedingly  pretty. 
The  scene  from  the  high  prairie,  before  descending 
through  the  canyon  of  the  creek,  is  in  effect  like  a  beau- 
tiful picture — with  the  garrison  and  the  Agency,  nestled 
each  in  its  own  nook,  not  fur  from  eacli  otlier.  Lap- 
wai Valley  is  very  fertile,  and,  in  early  missionary 
times,  was  considered  more  productive  than  Waiilatpa 
in  tlie  Walla  Walla  Valley.  When  there  was  not  grain 
eiiouiih  at  the  latter  station,  it  was  brought  from  this 


A    GLIMPSE    AT    IDAHO    AND   WASHINGTON.  121 

place  to  eke  out  the  supply.  The  old  mission  residenoe, 
now  a  ruin,  stands  near  the  bank  of  the  Clearwater, 
close  by  the  junction  of  the  Lapwai  Creek. 

Here  was  the  first  printing-press  ever  used  on  this 
coast.  It  was  a  small  hand -press,  presented  to  the 
Oregon  Mission,  by  the  missionaries  in  the  Sandwich 
Islands,  and  was  used  to  print  school-books  and  other 
works  in  the  Nez  Perce  language.  Great  was  the  labor 
expended  upon  these  efforts  to  enlighten  dark  minds  ; 
and  poor  the  reward  !  Mrs.  Spalding,  who,  with  her 
husband,  taught  eleven  years  in  this  little  valley,  has 
long  since  passed  to  her  rest,  dying  an  early  death  in 
consequence  of  the  shock  to  her  heart  and  brain  of 
the  massacre  at  Waiilatpa,  and  the  disappointment  of 
her  hopes.  Mr.  Spalding  lives,  but  wrecked  in  health 
and  spirits.  And  this  is  the  average  result  of  all 
missionary  labor  among  the  savages.  The  great  error 
of  the  Government  is  in  not  making  citizens,  or  sub- 
jects, of  the  Indians.  Just  so  long  as  they  are  treated 
with  as  independent  peoples,  so  long  will  Indian  wars 
continue  to  exist. 

The  Agency  is  a  quietly  busy  little  place,  with  mills, 
offices,  residences  for  the  agent,  interpreter,  and  others, 
a  school -house,  and  last,  not  least,  "Lyon's  Folly"  — 
a  stone  church,  commenced  by  Governor  Lyon  during 
his  gubernatorial  term.  The  walls  are  standing  un- 
covered, and  will  probably  fall  to  ruin.  Uncle  Samuel 
must  be  a  very  good-natured  relative  to  permit  so 
many  of  his  nephews  to  set  up  expensive  monuments 
to  themselves,  and  to  pay  themselves  handsomely,  at 
the  same  time,  for  doing  it. 

There  never  was  a  more  stupendous  piece  of  non- 
sense in  the  world  than  erecting  handsome  buildings, 
or  providing  any  enlightened  institutions  for  the  use 

9 


122  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

of  the  average  aborigine.  The  Nez  Perces  have  always 
been  the  exemplary  "good  Indians"  of  the  North- 
west ;  and  they,  certainly,  are  much  better  than  their 
southern  neighbors  of  the  same  color  ;  but  to  regard 
them  as  civilized  or  half- civilized,  or  to  expect  them 
to  become  such,  is  an  error.  We  have  forgotten  what 
the  Nez  Perce  Treaty  makes  it  necessary  to  expend  in 
educational  facilities  for  the  tribe  ;  but  we  know  that 
there  are  about  three  thousand  of  these  Indians,  and 
that  there  are,  at  present,  fifteen  in  the  school  at  the 
Agency.  It  is  true,  that  they  cultivate  a  little  ground 
under  superintendency,  which  looks  well ;  but  it  is 
only  a  little.  They  have  an  orchard,  too,  at  the  Agency, 
but  the  fruit  is  all  stolen  while  it  is  green,  and  never 
does  them  any  good.  They  parade  themselves  in  their 
blankets  of  red  or  white — lounging  about,  full  of  im- 
pertinence, and  very  Indian  altogether.  Some  of  them 
are  fine-enough-looking  fellows,  and  many  of  the  young 
women  are  pretty.  The  latter  can  learn  to  sew  quite 
nicely,  but  are  too  indolent  to  keep  themselves  decently 
clad  without  constant  urging.  They  prefer  lounging 
like  the  men,  and  amuse  themselves  in  the  Indian- 
room  of  Mr.  Whitman's,  by  chanting  together  their 
low,  lazy,  not  unmusical,  though  decidedly  barbarous 
and  unpronounceable,  sing-song. 

The  interpreter,  an  indispensable  man  at  the  Agency, 
is  Mr.  Perrin  Whitman,  nephew  of  Dr.  Marcus  Whit- 
man, of  honorable  memory.  lie  has  here  a  pleasant 
home,  and  a  cheerful  family  of  his  own  ;  while  the 
Indians  look  upon  him  as  the  only  person  who  can 
represent  them  properly — therefore  his  position,  prob- 
ably, is  a  permanent  one. 

Asking  to  be  introduced  to  "Lawyer,"  Mr.  Whitman 
took  us  to  see  this  renowned  chief.     He  is  a  rather 


A   GLIMPSE   AT   IDAHO   AND   WASHINGTON.  123 

short,  stout -built  man,  with  a  good  face  of  the  Indian 
type,  very  dark — almost  African — in  complexion,  and 
dressed  in  a  rusty  suit  of  white  men's  clothes,  with 
the  inevitable  high  silk -hat.  His  manner,  on  being 
introduced,  is  a  very  good  copy  of  the  civilized  man's  ; 
but  his  English  is  quite  too  imperfect  for  much  con- 
versation. We  told  him  we  had  come  a  long  way  to 
see  the  man  who  had  talked  with  Lewis  and  Clarke — 
at  which  he  smiled  in  a  gratified  manner — when  we 
asked  him  how  old  he  was  when  Lewis  and  Clarke 
were  in  the  country.  He  indicated  with  his  hand  the 
stature  of  a  five  -  year  -  old  child;  but  he  must  have 
been  older  than  that,  to  have  remembered  all  he 
claims  to  about  the  great  explorers.  It  was  his  father, 
who,  while  they  explored  the  Columbia  to  its  mouth, 
kept  their  horses  through  the  winter,  and  returned 
them  in  good  condition  in  the  spring. 

On  asking  him  the  meaning  of  koos-koos-kie — the 
name  Lewis  and  Clarke  gave  to  the  Clearwater — he 
explained,  in  Nez  Perce,  to  Mr.  Whitman,  that  Lewis 
and  Clarke  misapprehended  the  words  of  the  Indians ; 
that,  on  being  questioned  concerning  this  river,  and 
knowing  that  it  was  the  object  of  the  explorers  to 
find  the  great  River  of  tJie  West  —  as  it  was  then 
called — they  had  answered  them  that  the  Clearwater 
was  koos-koos-kie:  that  is,  a  smaller  river,  or  branch 
only  of  the  greater  one  beyond.  But  Lewis  and  Clarke 
understood  them  to  give  it  as  the  name  of  the  stream. 
"What  was  the  name  of  this  river,  formerly?"  we  asked. 
He  could  not  tell  us.  If  it  ever  had  a  name  it  was  for- 
gotten ;  and  thus,  directly,  the  interview  ended.  It  is 
remarkable,  that  so  many  of  the  rivers  of  the  country 
are  nameless  among  the  Indians ;  and  especially  so, 
that  the  Columbia  seems  never  to  have  had  a  name 


124  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

iimong  any  of  the  tribes  residing  either  upon  its  shores, 
or  in  tlie  interior. 

Concerning  the  moaning  of  Lapwai^  we  were  in- 
formed by  Mr.  Whitman  that  it  meant  the  place  of 
meeting,  or  boundary  between  two  peoples,  and  that 
the  Lapwai  Creek  really  was  the  boundary  between 
the  Upper  and  Lower  Nez  Perces.  The  former  tribe 
went  to  the  buffalo -grounds,  while  the  latter  never 
did  —  hence  the  distinction.  The  habits  of  the  two 
tribes  were  essentially  different,  as  always  are  the 
habits  of  those  who  live  by  hunting  from  those  who 
live  by  fishing  and  root -digging. 

There  is  a  double  line  of  cottonwood  and  other 
trees  from  the  Lapwai  Creek  to  the  site  of  the  old 
mission  mill,  which  at  first  we  mistook  for  an  avenue, 
but  which  turned  out  to  be  a  spontaneous  growth 
bordering  the  disused  mill-race.  The  moisture  fur- 
nished to  the  ground  by  the  race,  caused  the  flying 
seeds  of  the  cottonwood  to  germinate  where  they  fell, 
along  its  border  ;  and  the  result  is,  a  double  row  of 
fine,  tall  trees — a  hint  to  the  farmer  who  can  turn 
water  through  his  grounds  from  some  spring  or  stream. 
Four  or  six  years  will  find  the  trees  grown  to  the 
height  of  thirty  or  forty  feet. 

On  returning  to  Lewiston,  we  find  the  temperature 
to  be  about  ninety  degrees.  The  next  day  a  sand- 
storm is  prophesied,  and  really  comes  off.  First  comes 
the  wind  in  full  force,  lifting  the  loose  sands  of  the 
street  roof- high,  and  forcing  it  into  every  aperture  of 
the  houses.  Doors  and  windows  are  hastily  closed, 
and  people  left  to  suffocate  with  heat,  in  preference  to 
being  suflbcated  with  sand.  Ikfore  night  the  clouds 
gather  up,  and  give  us  at  sunset  a  sharp  thunder- 
shower — a  common  enough  event  in  this  eastern  coun- 


A   GLIMPSE   AT   IDAHO   AND   WASHINGTON.  125 

try,  but  almost  unknown  west  of  the  Cascades.  There 
is  a  considerable  rain-fall  during  this  night  and  another 
day — clearing  and  cooling  the  air — making  our  voyage 
down  Snake  River  truly  an  agreeable  one. 

The  impression  gained  of  Idaho,  from  this  glimpse 
at  one  spot  on  its  western  border,  is  more  favorable 
than  we  had  anticipated.  It  confirms  the  belief,  which 
has  been  gradually  growing  in  our  mind  ever  since  we 
left  Walla  Walla,  that  the  whole  of  this  Columbia 
Basin  has  been  underestimated  as  a  country  for  settle- 
ment. The  people  who  are  now  here  and  have  been 
here  for  several  years,  have  alwa3^s  been  in  the  habit 
of  looking  upon  this  as  only  a  mining  region.  They 
have  never  intended  to  remain  here  longer  than  their 
interest  in  the  mines  compelled  a  residence,  and, 
consequently,  have  never  been  inquisitive  about  its 
agricultural  capacities.  Within  the  last  two  years, 
however,  a  change  has  taken  place  in  the  sentiments 
of  these  unwilling  settlers,  and  they  are  commencing 
to  plant  out  fruit-trees — the  surest  evidence  that  they 
intend  now  to  make  this  country  their  permanent 
residence.  Several  thousand  dollars  have  lately  been 
invested  by  the  people  of  Idaho  in  young  trees,  im- 
ported from  the  East.  In  connection  with  these 
observations  of  our  own,  we  clip  the  following  from 
an  Oregon  paper : 

"Mr.  D.  P.  Thompson,  the  surveyor,  was  in  town 
during  the  forepart  of  the  week.  In  a  conversation 
with  him  he  informed  us,  that,  in  surveying  north  of 
Lewiston,  this  last  summer,  he  was  much  surprised  to 
fhid  it  such  a  beautiful  agricultural  country.  He  says, 
it  contains  more  land  adapted  to  agriculture  than  is 
embraced  in  the  entire  Wallamet  Valley,  including  all 
its   tributaries.     He  saw  whole  sections  that  would 


126  OREGON  AND   WASHINGTON. 

average  one  and  a  half  tons  of  fine  bunch-grass  hay  to 
the  acre.  The  length  of  the  valley  is  over  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty -five  miles,  and  contains  millions  of 
acres  of  land  of  a  superior  quality.  This  valley  has 
now  about  seven  hundred  inhabitants,  with  new-comers 
daily  arriving." 

Doubtless,  the  same  is  true  of  many  other  portions 
of  the  Territory. 

The  Snake  River  below  Lewiston  is  but  a  smaller 
copy  of  the  Columbia  above  the  Dalles — the  same 
high,  rounded  bluffs,  with  frequent  croppings  of  "eter- 
nal basalt,"  and  the  same  high,  rolling  plains  beyond. 
It  has  a  current  so  rapid  that  the  steamer,  which  has 
been  thirty-six  hours  in  coming  up  from  Dalles,  is  able 
to  return  in  fourteen.  Leaving  Lewiston  at  five  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  we  pass  no  settlements,  nor  any 
streams  of  more  consequence  than  the  Alpowah  and 
Tucanon  on  the  south  side,  and  the  Pelouse  on  the 
north,  until  we  arrive  at  the  junction  with  the  Colum- 
bia, at  eleven  o'clock,  having  traveled  149  miles  in  six 
hours.  Eleven  miles  farther  bring  us  to  Wallula, 
where  we  left  the  steamer  to  take  the  overland  route 
to  Lewiston,  through  the  Walla  Walla  Valley. 

The  notes  which  furnish  the  remainder  of  this  chap- 
ter were  imparted  to  us  by  several  intelligent  gentlemen 
of  Walla  Walla  and  Dalles,  and  we  give  them  as  fur- 
nishing the  most  reliable  information  concerning  those 
remoter  portions  of  the  Columbia  River  Valley,  which 
we  had  neither  time  nor  opportunity  to  see  with  our 
own  eyes. 

Almost  opposite  the  entrance  of  the  Snake  Riv^r 
into  the  Columbia,  or,  more  properly,  the  junction  of 
the  north  and  south  branches  of  the  great  river,  the 
Yakima  also  joins  itself  to  the  Columbia.     This  is  the 


A    GLIMPSE   AT    IDAHO    AND   WASHINGTON.  127 

principal  tributary  of  the  Columbia  in  South-eastern 
Washington  ;  and,  although  the  farming  capacities  of 
its  valley  are  not  yet  very  well  known,  it  is  believed 
that  they  are  nearly  equal  to  those  of  the  Walla  Walla 
Valley,  The  Yakima  has  its  rise  in  a  pass  of  the  Cas- 
cade Mountains,  from  whence  it  flows  south-eastwardly 
— receiving  in  its  course  numerous  smaller  tributaries 
descending  like  itself  from  the  water-shed  of  the  Cas- 
cades, and  entering  it  from  the  west.  Of  these,  the 
Wenass,  Nachess,  Athanam,  and  Pisco  are  the  prin- 
cipal. 

The  Yakima  Yalley  is  the  original  home  of  the 
Indian  tribe  of  that  name,  most  of  whom  are  now 
gathered  on  a  reservation  at  Fort  Simcoe,  and,  under 
faithful  instruction,  making  some  advance  toward  civ- 
ilization. The  number  of  settlers  in  the  whole  valley 
is  about  seven  hundred,  the  most  of  whom  are  en- 
gaged in  stock-raising.  A  direct  trade  with  Puget 
Sound  is  carried  on,  to  some  extent,  through  the 
Snoqualmie  Pass,  as  well  as  with  Oregon,  by  wagons, 
to  the  Columbia  River.  Like  Eastern  Oregon  this  por- 
tion of  Washington  Territory  is  particularly  adapted 
to  stock-raising,  whatever  other  resources  it  may  ulti- 
mately develop.  Its  vast  rolling  plains  furnish  the 
most  nutritious  grass  ;  its  streams  are  frequent  and 
pure,  and  bordered  with  cottonwood,  alder,  willow, 
and  birch.  Like  the  Walla  Walla  Yalley  it  is  destitute 
of  timber — the  material  for  fences  and  lumber  all 
coming  from  the  mountains,  where  yellow  pine  is 
found  in  abundance.  The  soil  is  a  uniform  light, 
sandy  loam,  with  more  or  less  alkali  in  it.  Near  the 
base  of  the  mountains  there  is  more  loam  and  clay, 
and,  as  a  consequence,  the  soil  retains  moisture  longer 
than  on  the  rolling  plains.     The  river-bottoms  consist 


128  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

in  great  part  of  rich  alluvial  deposits,  which  will 
cause  them,  ere  long,  to  be  turned  into  continuous 
stretches  of  farms,  like  the  valleys  of  the  Touchet  and 
Dry  Creek. 

Such  is  the  excellence  of  the  bunch -grass  peculiar 
to  the  plains  east  of  the  Cascade  Mountains,  that  even 
the  dry  grass,  which  is  cured  by  standing,  keeps  fat, 
all  winter,  the  stock  left  to  range  at  liberty  anywhere 
on  the  prairie.  Perhaps  the  pure,  mild,  dry,  elastic 
nature  of  the  atmosphere  contributes  something  to 
keep  animals  in  so  good  condition.  Certain  it  is,  that 
instead  of  coming  out  in  the  spring  with  lank  sides 
and  rough  coats,  they  are  as  round  and  glossy  as  if 
kept  up  and  curried. 

At  first  thought  it  might  be  conjectured  that  such  a 
country  would  be  excellent  for  dairy  purposes ;  but 
such  is  not  the  case.  The  dryness  of  the  food  and  air 
together  acts  upon  milch -cows  to  lessen  the  quantity 
of  milk,  although  so  much  milk  as  is  yielded  is  very 
rich  in  quality.  Doubtless,  many  localities  may  be 
selected  where  dairies  may  be  profitably  conducted  ; 
but  the  tendency  of  cattle  -  raising  is  to  a  product  of 
fat  beef  rather  than  butter  and  cheese. 

The  county  of  Yakima  is  bounded  by  the  Yakima 
River  on  the  east  and  north,  the  Cascade  Mountains 
on  the  west,  and  the  county  of  Klikitat  on  the  south. 
Besides  Walla  Walla  and  Yakima  counties,  the  whole 
of  Eastern  Washington  is  divided  into  Klikitat,  with 
a  population  of  two  or  three  hundred,  and  Stevens, 
with  a  population  of  ten  or  twelve  hundred.  The 
former  county  borders  on  the  Columbia,  opposite 
Wasco  County  in  Oregon,  and  consists  almost  entirely 
of  high,  rolling  plains. 

Stevens  County,  in  the  north-east  corner  of  Wash- 


A   GLIMPSE   AT   IDAHO   AND  WASniNGTON.  129 

ington  Territory,  contains  28,000  square  miles.  It  is 
divided  from  south-west  to  north-east  by  the  Clarke's 
Fork  of  the  Columbia,  the  large  and  numerous  branch- 
es of  which  furnish  extensive  tracts  of  line  agricultural 
valley -land.  Colville  Valley  has  been  settled  since 
the  early  times  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  in  Ore- 
gon, and  was  known,  even  then,  to  be  a  good  wheat- 
growing  country.  In  the  Spokane  Valle}'^  was  a  mis- 
sion settlement  as  early  as  1838,  and  would  now  have 
been  a  flourishing  American  settlement  but  for  the 
hostility  of  the  Indians,  who,  out  of  jealousy,  forbade 
the  cultivation  of  their  grounds  by  the  whites,  until 
after  the  ratification  of  the  treaties  of  late  years. 
Until  within  the  past  year  or  two,  the  country  was 
passed  over  only  by  miners  going  to,  and  returning 
from,  the  mines  of  Idaho  and  Montana.  Now,  there  is  a 
steady,  though  small,  immigration  of  settlers  into  this 
county,  especially  in  the  south-eastern  portion,  border- 
ing on  Idaho,  which  is  found  to  be  a  delightful  coun- 
try—  good  either  for  agriculture  or  grazing — consist- 
ing of  large  prairies  of  excellent  land,  interspersed 
with  groves  of  timber,  with  abundance  of  pure  water. 
It  would  appear  from  these  notes,  that  the  best 
lands  of  Eastern  Washington  are  not  immediately 
along  the  Columbia,  at  any  part  of  its  whole  course, 
but  rather  upon  the  upper  portion  of  its  tributaries, 
and  upon  tributaries  of  its  tributaries,  as  the  Walla, 
the  Yakima,  the  Spokane,  the  Okinikane,  and  numer- 
ous other  smaller  streams,  with  their  branches.  The 
great  plain  of  the  Columbia  occupies  a  central  position 
with  regard  to  these,  and  is  a  country  in  some  parts 
worthless,  and  in  others,  fit  only  for  grazing. 


CHAPTER    XI. 

A   BRIEF   SURVEY    OF   EASTERN    OREGON. 

Traveling  in  Eastern  Oregon  is  altogether  the  same 
as  we  have  described  it  in  the  Walla  Walla  Valley, 
except  that  here  there  is  more  of  it,  and  the  roads  at 
once  better  and  worse  for  the  same  reason:  that  is,  bet- 
ter graded  on  the  hills,  and  more  smotheringly  dusty 
on  the  levels.  Leaving  Umatilla,  where  we  arrive  by 
steamer,  there  is  the  same  sand -waste  to  toil  through, 
and  the  same  rolling  plain  of  light,  ashen  soil  to  over- 
come, before  reaching  the  settled  portion  of  the  valley, 
that  there  is  between  Wallula  and  Walla  Walla.  Nor 
is  there  any  material  difference  between  the  general 
features  of  the  Walla  Walla  and  Umatilla  valleys — their 
respective  streams  rising  in  the  Blue  Mountains,  flow- 
ing in  the  same  general  westerly  direction,  and  falling 
into  the  Columbia  about  twent3^-five  miles  apart.  By 
natural  boundary,  the  Walla  Walla  Valley  belongs  to 
Oregon,  lying  as  it  does  wholly  south  of  the  Snake 
River,  and  partly  south  of  the  Oregon  line.  As  men- 
tioned elsewhere,  it  is  the  lowest  point  in  the  Colum- 
bia Basin — the  Umatilla,  the  Grand  Ronde,  and  Pow- 
der River  valleys  being  each  successively  more  elevated 
than  the  other. 

The  whole  extent  of  country,  lying  east  of  the  Cas- 
cades in  Oregon,  is  58,000  square  miles,  and  consists 
of  immense  plateaux,  crossed  from  the  north -cast  to 
the  south-west  by  the   Blue  Mountains,  from  which 


A   BRIEF   SURVEY   OP  EASTERN   OREGON.  131 

numerous  spurs  put  out  in  various  directions.  The 
best  land  in  Eastern  Oregon  lies  along  near  the  base 
of  this  transverse  chain  of  mountains,  and  in  the  val- 
leys of  the  streams  flowing  from  it  on  cither  side ;  the 
upper  portion  of  these  valleys  being  invariably  the 
best.  All  the  timber  of  the  country — fir,  pine,  cedar, 
spruce,  and  larch — grows  on  the  high  mountain  ridges, 
except  the  mere  fringes  of  cottonwood  and  willow 
which  border  the  streams.  The  Blue  Mountains  con- 
stitute a  wall  between  the  Columbia  River  Basin,  to 
the  north,  and  the  Klamath  Basin,  to  the  south ;  hence 
all  the  rivers  of  Eastern  Oregon  head  in  these  mount- 
ains, and  flow  into  the  Columbia  and  Snake  rivers, 
only  excepting  those  in  the  Klamath  Basin,  which 
empty  into  marshy  lakes  or  sinks.  Along  these  rivers, 
and  about  the  lakes,  there  are  large  tracts  of  excel- 
lent land,  suitable  for  liirming.  Subtracting  from  the 
whole  area  of  Eastern  Oregon  what  may  be  called  the 
valley  lands,  the  remainder  is  high,  rolling  prairie, 
with  a  considerable  portion  of  waste,  volcanic  country 
in  the  central  and  western  divisions.  The  country 
may  be  considered  well  watered  throughout,  as  the 
streams  are  numerous,  and  water  is  to  be  found  by 
stock  at  all  seasons  of  the  year.  Owing,  however,  to 
the  elevation  of  the  plains  above  the  beds  of  the  prin- 
cipal streams,  irrigation  can  not  be  effected,  over  a  large 
portion  of  it,  unless  by  artesian  wells  or  by  conducting 
water  from  the  mountains.  Such  are  the  general  feat- 
ures of  that  portion  of  Oregon  lying  east  of  the  Cas- 
cade Mountains. 

Attention  was  first  drawn  to  the  fertility  of  Eastern 
Oregon,  by  the  population  that  rushed  to  the  mines  in 
18G1,  and  the  three  years  immediately  following.  It 
became  necessary  to  provide  for  the  consumption  of  a 


132  OREGON   AND  WASHINGTON. 

large  class  of  persons  who  dealt  only  in  gold.  The 
high  prices  they  paid,  and  were  willing  to  pay,  for  the 
necessary  articles  of  subsistence,  stimulated  others  to 
attempt  the  raising  of  grain  and  vegetables.  The 
success  which  attended  their  efforts  soon  led  to  the 
taking  up  and  cultivating  of  all  the  valley  lands  in  the 
neighborhood  of  mines,  and  finally  to  experiments 
with  grain -crops  on  the  uplands,  where  also  the  farm- 
ers met  with  unexpected  success.  The  nature  of  the 
soils  on  the  south  side  of  the  Columbia  is  nearly  iden- 
tical with  those  already  spoken  of  as  characteristic  of 
the  north  side:  light,  ashen,  and  often  strongly  alka- 
line, on  the  plains ;  sandy  and  clay  loam  at  the  base 
of  the  mountains,  and  richly  alluvial  in  the  bottoms, 
where  it  is  often,  too,  mixed  with  alkali.  It  is  discov- 
ered that  on  the  highest  uplands,  and  tops  of  ridges, 
there  is  a  mixture  of  clay  loam,  which  accounts  for  the 
manner  in  which  wheat  crops  endure  the  natural  dry- 
ness of  the  climate  in  the  growing  season. 

Eastern  Oregon  has  a  population  of  about  13,000, 
and  is  divided  into  five  counties,  which  serve  for  judi- 
cial purposes ;  but  is  more  often  spoken  of  by  valleys 
than  by  counties.  In  one  case,  as  in  that  of  Umatilla, 
they  are  identical,  where  the  county  embraces  this  one 
valley.  The  reservation  of  the  Cayuse,  Walla  Walla, 
and  Umatilla  Indians  occupies  a  considerable  portion 
of  this  county,  which  altogether  has  an  area  of  about 
six  thousand  square  miles — probably  one -third.  Of 
the  remaining  two -thirds,  about  half  is  reckoned  as 
agricultural  land,  and  the  balance  as  grazing  land  of 
the  very  best  quality.  Water  is  plenty  and  excellent; 
but  timber,  as  already  described,  is  found  only  on  the 
mountains. 

Pendleton,  the  county-seat,  is  situated  centrally,  on 


A    BRIEF    SURVEY    OF   EASTERN   OREGON.  133 

the  Umatilla  River,  and  is  a  thriving  new  town  of  two 
hundred  and  fifty  inhabitants.  There  are  two  or  three 
other  small  towns  in  the  county,  each  the  centre  of  an 
agricultural  district.  Two  saw -mills  manufacture  all 
the  lumber  consumed  in  the  county,  which  as  yet  has 
not  more  than  2,875  inhabitants,  nor  more  than  8,000 
acres  of  land  under  improvement. 

Union  County  contains  the  valley  of  the  Grand 
Ronde,  a  circular,  grassy  plain  on  the  Grand  Ronde 
River,  long  celebrated  for  its  beauty  and  fertility. 
Here,  in  the  early  times  of  overland  immigration  by 
wagons,  the  weary  immigrant  found  food  for  his  cattle 
and  rest  for  himself,  after  the  long,  exhausting  march 
over  the  hot  and  sterile  plains  of  Snake  River.  This 
valley  is  thirty  miles  in  diameter,  well  watered,  and 
very  productive  in  cereals,  fruits,  and  vegetables,  of  all 
kinds  common  to  the  temperate  zone.  About  15,000 
acres  are  under  cultivation  in  this  valley.  The  yield 
of  grain-crops  is  unusually  large,  wheat  often  yielding 
from  forty  to  sixty  bushels  per  acre,  and  barley  and 
oats,  from  sixty  to  eighty.  A  considerable  amount  of 
land  in  this  valley  is  subject  to  overflow,  which  makes 
it  greatly  esteemed  as  grass  land,  and  for  its  annual 
product  of  hay.  Timber  is  conveniently  near  on  the 
encircling  mountains,  and  water  abundant. 

The  climate  of  Grand  Ronde  Valley  is  subject  to 
greater  extremes  than  that  of  Walla  Walla,  or  Uma- 
tilla, being  nearly  1,000  feet  higher  than  the  latter. 
Snow  seldom  remains  on  the  ground  more  than  three 
weeks,  the  winter  being  short,  and  spring  plowing  and 
gardening  commencing  in  March.  Although  stock 
sJiould  be  provided  with  shelter  and  food,  yet  cattle  and 
sheep  are  often  left  to  winter  without  either ;  and  do 
very  well  without,  in  ordinary  seasons. 


134  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

Another  fertile  valley  in  Union  County  is  the  "Wal- 
lowe,  separated  from  Grand  Ronde  by  a  spur  of  the 
Blue  Mountains.  It  contains  about  6,000  acres  of  land 
similar  to  that  in  the  larger  valley.  Eagle  Creek 
Valley,  of  about  the  same  extent  as  the  "Wallowe,  con- 
tains also  considerable  good  land ;  but  is  more  cele- 
brated for  its  mines  than  its  agricultural  advantages. 
The  mineral  resources  of  Union  County  are,  in  fact, 
important.  Besides  the  gold  mines,  which  have  been 
profitably  worked,  there  are  indications  of  iron,  copper, 
lead,  and  coal.  Very  few  locations  combine  a  greater 
number  of  advantages  than  this  portion  of  Union 
County.  Its  mountains  afford  the  precious  and  base 
metals,  besides  timber;  its  plains  inexhaustible  pasture; 
and  its  bottom-lands  the  most  fertile  farms.  There 
are  several  hundred  miners  at  work  on  Eagle  Creek; 
and  thirty  or  forty  families  settled  in  the  valley. 

La  Grande  is  the  county-seat  of  Union  County,  and 
contains  G40  inhabitants.  There  are  several  smaller 
settlements,  and  altogether  a  population  of  2,555. 
The  grain  product  for  1870  was:  Wheat,  250,000  bush- 
els ;  oats,  200,000  bushels ;  barley,  150,000  bushels. 
It  is  estimated  that  its  taxable  property  for  1871  is 
about  $1,000,000.  Four  saw-mills  supply  the  demand 
for  lumber;  as  also  do  the  flouring -mills  the  demand 
for  flour.  The  stage-road  from  Umatilla  to  Boise  City 
and  the  Central  Pacific  Railroad  passes  through  La 
Grande,  making  communication  easy  with  the  Colum- 
bia River  and  tlie  cast. 

Baker  County,  named  for  Col.  E.  D.  Baker,  who  fell 
in  battle  at  Ball's  Bluff,  embraces  the  valleys  of  Pow- 
der, Burnt,  Malheur,  and  Owyhee  rivers.  Settled, 
lilvc  Union  County,  on  account  of  its  mines,  it  soon 
became  well  known  for  the  productive  character  of  its 


A   BRIEF   SURVEY   OF   EASTERN   OREGON.  135 

soil.  Wc  remember  to  have  hoard,  while  traveling  on 
the  stage  from  Umatilla,  a  miner  from  Powder  River 
declaring,  that  "if  a  crow-bar  should  be  left  sticking 
in  the  ground  overnight,  it  would  be  found  in  the 
morning  to  have  sprouted  tenpenny  nails!" — after 
which  assertion  we  never  felt  at  liberty  to  question 
any  statements  wdiicli  might  be  given  us  of  the  fertil- 
ity of  the  Powder  River  Valley.  With  its  several 
rivers,  its  bottom-lands,  plains,  and  mountains,  Baker 
County  is  one  of  the  best  in  Eastern  Oregon.  Its 
elevation  being  four  hundred  feet  greater  than  the 
Grand  Ronde,  gives  it  a  climate  both  colder  in  winter 
and  hotter  in  summer ;  the  thermometer  in  winter 
sometimes  falling  to  15  degrees  below  zero,  and  in 
summer  rising  to  105  degrees.  Yet  the  winters  are 
short,  and  the  spring  early;  while  autumn  is  long  and 
delightful,  being  a  season  of  mildness  and  occasional 
refreshing  showers. 

Like  Union  County,  Baker  is  celebrated  for  its  min- 
eral products.  Placer  gold  has  been  found  in  consid- 
erable quantities  in  several  districts,  known  as  Rye 
Valley,  Mormon  Basin,  Clark's  Creek,  Auburn,  and 
Shasta.  Later  discoveries  of  rich  gold  and  silver 
quartz-leads  confirm  its  reputation  as  a  mining  region. 
Coal,  and  the  base  metals,  are  also  known  to  exist 
here;  the  mining  of  which  will  be  greatly  facilitated 
by  the  presence  of  water  and  wood  in  abundance. 

Baker  City,  with  a  population  of  312,  is  the  county- 
seat.  The  population  of  the  whole  county  is  roughly 
estimated  at  three  thousand,  but  is  probably  less :  as 
may  be  also  that  of  other  counties — since  the  estimate 
of  the  citizens  seldom  tallies  with  the  general  result 
of  the  census.  It  is  very  difficult  to  compute  the 
shifting  communities  of  mining  counties    accurately. 


136  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

Baker  County  has  several  lumber-mills,  and  one  flour- 
ing-mill;  besides  machine-shops,  and  all  the  necessary- 
trades'  and  smiths'  shops.  Both  in  Union  and  Baker 
counties,  great  attention  has  been  given  to  the  estab- 
lishment of  schools.  In  the  former,  a  common-school 
system  is  already  in  operation,  supported  both  by  sub- 
scription and  taxation.  Religious  services  are  generally 
held  with  regularity,  in  the  towns  and  settlements.  In 
all  that  goes  to  make  up  the  character  of  good,  moral, 
and  respectable  people,  the  settlers  of  both  Eastern 
Oregon  and  Washington  appear  to  be  ahead  of  most 
newly  settled  communities.  The  overland  stage  route 
is  through  this  county,  giving  daily  mail  communica- 
tion with  the  east  and  west.  The  roads  are  kept  in 
good  repair  for  wagoning  goods  from  the  Columbia 
River  to  the  different  mining-camps  and  settlements. 

Grant  County,  embracing  that  central  portion  of 
Eastern  Oregon  where  the  Blue  Mountains  are  highest, 
and  extending  southward  to  the  southern  boundary 
of  the  State,  comprises  altogether  some  of  the  most 
remarkable  features  of  the  whole  country,  including  a 
portion  of  the  wonderful  "lake  region."  It  was  first 
settled  in  1862,  by  a  mining  population  ;  since  which 
time  it  has  contributed  ten  millions  to  the  wealth  of 
the  world.  The  mining- camps  are  all  on  the  head- 
waters and  forks  of  the  Jolm  Day  River;  where  the 
placer  mines  are  being  worked  out,  only  to  be  re- 
placed by  the  discovery  of  rich  quartz -leads. 

This  county,  like  those  already  mentioned,  has  be- 
come self-supporting,  so  far  as  farm  products  are  con- 
cerned. It  has  under  cultivation  about  nine  thousand 
acres  of  land,  chiefly  on  the  North,  South,  and  Middle 
Forks  of  John  Day  River,  and  a  population  of  between 
two  and  three  thousand.     A  good  wagon -road  from 


A  BRIEF   SURVEY   OF   EASTERN   OREGON.  137 

Canyon  City,  the  county -seat,  to  the  Dalles,  furnishes 
connection  with  the  Columbia  River ;  and  excellent 
coaches,  carrying  a  daily  mail,  travel  over  it.  Freight- 
wagons  and  pack-trains  also  assist  to  keep  the  dry 
dust  of  summer  stirring,  tossing  it  to  the  boisterous 
winds  that  career  at  will  over  the  boundless  yellow 
plains  of  the  Columbia. 

In  that  portion  of  Grant  County  near  the  base  of 
the  Blue  Mountains  on  the  north  side,  it  resembles  in 
all  respects  those  other  mountain  valleys  already  de- 
scribed, with  its  rich,  level  bottoms,  grassy  foot-hills, 
and  timbered  mountain  ridges.  But  that  portion  of 
the  county  lying  south  of  the  Blue  Mountains,  is 
interesting  not  only  as  containing  a  large  area  of  graz- 
ing and  cultivable  lands,  but  its  physical  conformation 
makes  it  a  field  of  peculiar  interest  to  the  geologist. 
Harney  Lake  Valley,  in  this  region,  is  remarkable  for 
being  a  basin  forty  miles  in  diameter  without  an  out- 
let. The  lake  from  which  it  takes  its  name  is  a  small, 
brackish  body  of  water,  near  its  south-eastern  rim, 
receiving  the  drainage  of  the  whole  basin,  and  dis- 
charging it  through  some  invisible  outlet.  Lying,  as 
it  does,  in  the  most  elevated  portion  of  a  broken  and 
volcanic  country,  it  affords  speculation  for  the  curious. 
The  valley  itself  has  a  rocky  surface,  except  in  the 
northern  part,  where  there  is  a  tract  of  good  arable 
land. 

Besides  Harney  Lake,  there  is  a  chain  of  fresh-water 
lakes,  commencing  on  the  north-eastern,  and  extend- 
ing to  the  south-western  border  of  the  county,  in 
some  cases  connected  by  sluggish,  but  pure  streams, 
and  subject  to  high  and  low  stages  of  water.  They 
abound  in  fish  and  water -fowl,  and  are  bordered  gen- 
erally by  good  grazing  and  agricultural  lands;  while 

10 


138  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

those  bodies  of  water  out  of  which  no  streams  flow 
are  all  more  or  less  alkaline,  from  receiving  the  drain- 
age of  the  alkaline  soil  about  them,  and  not  dischar- 
ging any  portion  of  it. 

Wasco  County,  extending  from  the  northern  to  the 
southern  boundary  of  Oregon,  along  the  base  of  the 
Cascade  Range,  and  having  a  breadth  of  more  than 
sixty  miles,  comprises  almost  every  variety  of  surface 
and  soil  belonging  to  all  the  other  counties.  Its 
southern  portion,  like  the  southern  portion  of  Grant 
County,  is  a  lake  country.  A  chain  of  volcanic  high- 
lands, commencing  at  Diamond  Peak  of  the  Cascade 
Range,  runs  north-easterly,  joining  on  to  the  Blue 
Mountains,  and  separating  this  lake -region  from  the 
valleys  of  the  Des  Chutes,  Crooked,  and  John  Day 
rivers,  which  flow  toward  the  north;  making  of  this 
south-western  portion  of  Eastern  Oregon  an  isolated, 
as  it  is  a  peculiar  country. 

Lying  near  the  base  of  the  Cascades,  and  south  of 
the  ridge  just  mentioned,  is  the  Klamath  Marsh,  a  wet, 
grassy  basin,  out  of  which  flows  Williamson's  River,  a 
stream  of  considerable  size,  into  Great  Klamath  Lake, 
a  few  miles  farther  south.  Near  the  head  of  this  lake 
is  situated  Fort  Klamath,  a  military  post,  located  here 
during  the  disturbances  with  the  Snake  and  Klamath 
Indians  in  1863.  On  tlie  eastern  shore  of  this  lake  is 
located  the  reservation  of  the  Klamath,  Modoc,  and 
Snake  Indians.  It  occupies  a  tract  about  fifty  miles 
square,  including  the  marsh  and  the  connecting  river. 
The  general  appearance  of  the  country  which  the  res- 
ervation embraces  is  sterile  and  volcanic.  In  shape  it 
is  rolling,  covered  with  a  fine  growth  of  yellow  and 
sugar  pine,  with  some  cedars,  firs,  and  on  the  streams, 
Cottonwood,  poplar,  and  willow.     The  best  part  of  the 


A   BRIEF   SURVEY   OF   EASTERN   OREGON.  139 

reservation  is  that  which  lies  on  Sprague  River — a 
stream  rising  about  forty  miles  to  the  east,  in  the 
highlands  about  Goose  Lake,  and  flowing  westwardly 
into  Klamath  Lake.  This  valley,  fifteen  miles  in 
breadth  by  forty  in  length,  possesses  a  quick,  fertile 
soil ;  although  its  elevation  of  four  thousand  feet  above 
the  sea,  unfits  it  as  a  region  for  the  farming  of  the 
tender  fruits  and  vegetables.  Wild  flax  grows  abun- 
dantly in  this  region,  as  it  does  also  in  many  parts  of 
Eastern  Oregon, 

Springs  of  pure,  clear,  cold  water  are  very  numer- 
ous ;  some  of  them  of  immense  size.  There  is  one 
bursting  out  at  the  base  of  the  mountains  about  two 
miles  west  of  Williamson's  River,  which  is  a  quarter  of 
a  mile  across  in  one  direction,  and  twenty -five  rods  in 
the  other,  and  which  discharges  a  stream  of  clear, 
cold  water  large  enough  to  be  navigable  by  the  steam- 
ers that  run  on  the  Wallamet  River.  This  water, 
flowing  into  Williamson's  River,  completely  changes  its 
character,  from  warm  and  turbid  to  clear  and  cold  ;  in 
which  trout  from  twelve  to  sixteen  inches  may  be 
plainly  seen  disporting  themselves  at  a  distance  of 
several  yards.  [A  spring  of  a  similar  character  and 
dimensions  bursts  out  at  the  foot  of  the  Cascades,  a 
few  miles  north  of  the  Three  Sisters,  discharging 
itself  into  the  Des  Chutes  River.]  The  saw -mill  at 
the  Agency  is  run  by  the  same  spring  which  supplies 
an  irrigating  ditch ;  and  has  besides  a  large  surplus,  a 
portion  of  which  will  be  used  in  running  a  grist-mill. 
The  lands  of  the  reservation,  however,  that  have  been 
put  under  cultivation,  are  too  high  and  too  cold  ever 
to  produce  the  farming  results  to  make  it  self-support- 
ing. Game,  fish,  and  roots,  such  as  the  Indians  use, 
are  abundant ;  and  on  these  the  Indians  can  at  least 


140  OREGON   AND  WASHINGTON. 

partially  subsist  themselves,  while  being  taught  to 
labor. 

South-east  of  the  reservation,  and  beyond  the 
western  ridge  of  the  Goose  Lake  Mountains,  is  Goose 
Lake  Valley,  containing  a  considerable  portion  of  good 
agi'icultural  land,  with  a  much  larger  amount  of  ex- 
cellent grazing  land.  Surprise  Yalley,  on  the  eastern 
side  (^f  Goose  Lake,  is  similar  to  those  previously 
mentioned ;  and  all  are  surrounded  by  timbered  ridges. 
Goose  Lake  and  Surprise  valleys  are  well  settled  up. 
There  is,  in  fact,  a  succession  of  settlements  lodged  in 
the  small  valleys  of  this  portion  of  Oregon,  all  alojig 
the  California  and  Oregon  line.  It  is  estimated  that 
ten  thousand  head  of  cattle  are  pastured  on  the  mead- 
ows about  Clear  Lake — a  country  hardly  known  as  yet. 

The  Oregon  Central  Military  Road  passes  through 
all  this  region,  starting  from  Eugene  City  in  the  Wal- 
lamet  Valley,  and  crossing  the  Cascades  at  Diamond 
Peak  Pass.  From  thence  it  crosses  to  Owyhee,  in 
Idaho  ;  passing  through  much  valuable  mineral  coun- 
try also.  The  road  from  Ohico,  in  California,  to  Boise 
City,  in  Idaho,  traverses  the  south-eastern  corner  of 
Oregon ;  a  great  deal  of  freight  going  that  way  to  the 
mines.  It  is  hoped  to  bring  a  branch  of  the  Central 
Pacific  from  the  Humboldt  Valley,  through  the  Klam- 
ath Lake  region,  into  the  head  of  the  Wallamet  Val- 
ley. A  scheme  is  on  hand  for  turning  the  waters  of 
Lost  River,  a  stream  which  flows  out  of  Wriglit  Lake 
into  Clear  Lake,  through  a  canal,  which  shall  conduct 
them  into  the  Lower  Klamath  Lake ;  thus  draining 
thousands  of  acres  of  excellent  land,  well  adapted  to 
settlement. 

The  northern  part  of  Wasco  County  contains  the 
valleys  of  the  Des  Chutes,  John  Day,  and  Crooked 


A   BRIEF   SURVEY   OF   EASTERN   OREGON.  141 

rivers,  and  their  tributaries ;  besides  the  valleys  of 
numerous  creeks  falling  into  the  Columbia,  near  the 
Dalles — all  of  which  are  pretty  well  settled  up.  Pro- 
ceeding north  from  the  Klamath  Lakes,  we  first  come 
into  a  country  interesting  chiefly  to  the  geologist ; 
being  an  immense  plain  covered  with  volcanic  ashes 
and  tufa,  except  a  small  valley  of  good  land  on  the 
head -waters  of  the  Des  Chutes,  in  the  vicinity  of  a 
cluster  of  beautiful  lakes.  North  of  these  are  the 
Three  Sisters — a  beautiful  group  of  snow-peaks,  stand- 
ing out  from  the  range,  and  covered  with  snow  almost 
to  their  bases.  For  a  long  distance  to  the  east  of 
these,  the  country  is  a  waste  of  volcanic  ashes  and 
cinders,  into  which  the  legs  of  a  horse  sink  eighteen 
or  twenty  inches.  In  the  midst  of  this  waste  is  an  old 
crater  of  a  volcano,  its  walls  still  standing  to  a  height 
of  between  two  and  three  hundred  feet ;  and  in  its 
neighborhood  lava,  scoria,  and  obsidian  are  scattered 
broadcast.  About  the  sources  of  the  Crooked  River,  an 
affluent  of  the  Des  Chutes,  are  also  numerous  boiling 
springs,  indicating  the  volcanic  nature  of  the  country. 
Passing  the  spring  before  mentioned  as  discharging 
into  the  Des  Chutes,  and  crossing  two  or  three  small 
streams  of  clear  water,  cold  from  the  snows  of  Mount 
Jefferson,  we  come  to  the  Warm  Springs  Reservation, 
the  home  of  the  Des  Chutes,  Wascopams,  and  several 
other  tribes  of  Indians,  The  reservation  takes  its 
name  from  the  boiling  springs  in  its  neighborhood, 
which  are  curiously  near  to  a  stream  of  ice-cold  water. 
The  country  here  is  high,  and  worthless,  except  for 
grazing;  and  can  never  be  made  to  support  the  Indians 
gathered  upon  it.  In  the  vicinity  of  this  reservation 
a  bed  of  moss -agates  has  lately  been  discovered  which 
promises  to  be  quite  extensive. 


142  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

Following  down  the  Des  Chutes,  we  cross  several 
creeks  coming  into  it.  One  of  these,  Tyghe  Creek, 
falls  into  this  river  at  a  point  where  the  canyon  it 
flows  through  is  more  than  a  thousand  feet  in  depth. 
From  Tyghe  Creek  it  is  thirty-five  miles  to  the  Colum- 
bia. Not  far  below  the  entrance  of  the  creek,  the 
road  from  Dalles  to  Canyon  City  crosses  the  Des 
Chutes.  While  here  we  are  almost  abreast  of  Mount 
Hood,  and  spread  out  on  every  hand  is  a  landscape  of 
wonderful  impressiveness  and  extent. 

Dalles  is  the  county -seat  of  Wasco  County.  Its 
population  is  between  700  and  800,  while  that  of  the 
county  is  2,489.  The  proportion  of  its  urban  to  its 
suburban  population  shows  the  greater  number  of 
people  engaged  in  agriculture  and  stock-raising;  for 
Wasco  Count}^  has  no  towns  except  Dalles.  There  are 
four  saw -mills  in  this  county,  and  one  large  flouring- 
mill  at  Dalles;  a  woolen -mill — not  in  operation  at 
present ;  and  extensive  machine  -  shops,  as  mentioned 
elsewhere. 

A  railroad  is  projected,  to  begin  at  a  point  on  the 
Union  Pacific,  and  following  up  Ham's  Fork  of  Green 
River,  and  along  Bear  River  to  the  nearest  point  on 
the  Snake  River  ;  to  follow  the  Snake  Valley  down  to 
the  Immigrant  -  crossing  ;  through  the  mining  counties 
of  Eastern  Oregon,  and  so  on  to  Dalles  City,  on  the 
Columbia.  There  are  many  arguments  in  favor  of  this 
route  to  the  great  river  thoroughfare  of  Oregon.  Such 
a  road  would  inevitably  be  continued  to  the  Wallamet 
Valley,  and  form  connection  with  the  Northern  Pacific 
to  Puget  Sound.  Cheap  transportation  is  the  great 
want  of  the  whole  upper  country.  High  prices  for 
labor  and  for  all  the  commodities  of  life  must  prevail, 
when  $30,  coin,  is  the  price  of  transporting  one  ton  of 


A.  BRIEF   SURVEY   OF   EASTERN   OREGON.  143 

freight,  by  measurement,  from  Portland  to  Umatilla.  . 
Add  to  this  the  freight   from   San  Francisco,  seven 
dollars,  and  the  additional  frcnght  by  wagon  to  places 
remote  from  the  Columbia,  and  goods  become  worth 
"their  weight  in  gold." 

Even  at  these  figures,  there  is  landed  at  Umatilla, 
annually,  fifteen  to  twenty  thousand  tons ;  and  at 
Wallula,  in  Washington,  five  or  six  thousand  more. 
As  a  consequence,  wages  range  from  six  to  eight  dol- 
lars per  day.  It  is  proof  positive  of  the  worth  of 
the  country  that  it  continues  to  grow  and  prosper 
under  such  disadvantages.  The  surplus  of  grain  which 
is  raised  will  not,  in  most  cases,  pay  for  shipping  to 
foreign  markets.  One  example  to  the  contrary,  how- 
ever, came  under  our  observation,  where  Mr.  Wait,  of 
Waitsburg,  in  the  Walla  Walla  Valley,  shipped  several 
thousand  barrels  of  flour  to  Europe  and  made  a  dollar 
a  barrel  on  it ;  and  this  year,  as  much  as  100,000 
bushels  of  wheat  were  exported  from  the  Walla  Walla 
Valley,  by  way  of  the  Columbia  River.  If,  then,  with 
so  much  against  him,  the  business  man  can  make 
money,  how  many  times  would  his  chances  be  doubled 
by  quick  and  cheap  transportation.  Railroads  are 
truly  the  one  great  need  of  all  this  country,  and 
with  them  would  come  the  population  to  make  them 
paying. 

Having  seen  enough  of  Eastern  Oregon,  on  our 
return  to  Dalles  we  take  steamer  for  the  Lower  Co- 
lumbia, and  Wallamet  River.  We  rise  early,  as  any 
one  must  who  goes  anywhere  in  Oregon,  and  get  our 
last  and  loveliest  view  of  Mount  Ilood  from  the  east 
side  of  the  Cascades.  We  have  seen  it  in  every 
possible  conjuncture  of  circumstances,  almost  at  its 
feet,  and  where  distance  made  it  seem  like  a  faint 


144  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

white  cloud.  But  behold  his  majesty  this  morning, 
draped  from  summit  to  base  in  a  golden-tinted  tissue  of 
morning  mist,  of  so  delicate  a  texture  that  it  has  no  trait 
of  masculinity  about  it !  In  fact,  we  are  reminded  of 
a  girl  in  the  "  trying  on"  process  with  a  straw-colored 
silk  grenadine.  Her  head  has  not  yet  emerged  from 
the  billows  of  gauze  ;  nor  is  her  robe  quite  shaken 
down  on  one  side — the  shining  petticoat  of  snow 
showing  daintily  underneath.  Many  are  the  masquer- 
ading costumes  and  airs  of  the  solid  old  mountain, 
who,  despite  the  dignity  of  his  thousands  of  years, 
affects  at  times  the  blushes  of  the  rose. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

"UP   THE   WALLAMET    TO   PORTLAND. 

The  upper  mouth  of  the  Wallamet  is  about  eigliteen 
or  twenty  miles  above  the  lower  one — the  "Wallamet 
and  Columbia  being  separated  for  this  distance  only 
by  a  narrow,  sandy  island,  which  in  the  period  of  the 
summer  flood  is  two-thirds  under  water.  The  original 
name  of  this  island  (now  called  Sauvie's)  was  Wap- 
patoo,  from  the  abundance  of  a  plant  of  that  name 
(Sagittaria  sagittifolia)  found  growing  there.  This  plant 
has  a  tuberous  root,  which  is  used  by  the  Indians  for 
food,  and  grows  most  abundantly  in  marshy  places  or 
shallow  lakes.  "Wappatoo  lakes"  are  also  considered 
valuable  fields  for  fattening  hogs  ;  and  the  interior  of 
Sauvie's  Island  furnishes  several  of  these.  Notwith- 
standing that  every  summer  their  farms  are  under 
water  from  two  to  three  weeks,  most  small  farmers 
prefer  the  quick,  warm  soil  of  the  island,  to  higher 
ground  on  the  mainland.  Here,  after  the  freshet  sub- 
sides, about  the  second  week  in  July,  crops  of  potatoes, 
melons,  and  vegetables  may  be  put  in,  and  come  to 
maturity  quite  as  early  as  if  planted  in  the  spring,  on 
the  colder  soil  of  the  uplands.  Sauvie's  Island  is 
indeed  the  garden  of  the  lower  portion  of  the  Wal- 
lamet Valley. 

The  upper  mouth  of  the  Wallamet  comes  out  be- 
tween the  head  of  the  island,  and  a  low,  sandy  point 
opposite.     From  the  formation  of  the  land  it  appears 


146  OREGON   AND  WASHINGTON. 

probable  that  the  island  was  once  a  continuation  of 
this  point — a  peninsula,  in  fact,  which  was  finally  cut 
oflf  by  some  heavy  winter  flood  forcing  its  way  over 
and  through  it.  Numerous  small  islands  form  quite 
an  archipelago  above  the  head  of  the  principal  island. 
As  they  are  all  densely  wooded  with  willow,  cotton- 
wood,  and  other  water -loving  trees,  they  present  a 
very  picturesque  view. 

Supposing  ourselves  to  be  standing  on  the  hurricane 
deck  of  a  steamer,  passing  among  these  islands,  be- 
tween the  Columbia  and  the  Wallamet,  with  stretches 
of  both  in  sight ;  with  the  heavily  wooded  shores  of 
both  rivers  plainly  visible  ;  with  the  Cascade  Range 
drawn  in  blue  on  the  eastern  horizon,  and  the  white 
peaks  of  St.  Helen,  Hood,  Adams,  and  Jefferson  rising 
sharp  above  it ;  and  over  all  a  rosy,  sunset  sky,  its 
reflection  coloring  the  rivers  and  tinting  the  snow- 
peaks — we  would  hardly  expect  ever  to  meet  a  lovelier 
picture  than  this  one  before  us. 

The  Wallamet  River,  unlike  the  majestic  Columbia, 
divides,  nearly  in  half,  a  level  valley  of  open  prairie- 
land.  Hence,  and  because  the  earliest  settlers  of  a 
country  always  select  the  lands  easiest  of  tillage,  we 
find  nearly  the  whole  of  the  Oregon  population  in  the 
Wallamet  Valley.  Had  we  entered  by  the  lower 
mouth,  and  come  up  on  the  south  side  of  Sauvie's 
Island,  we  should  have  found  the  land  on  either  side 
divided  into  farms,  and  have  witnessed  the  shipping 
of  stock,  and  other  signs  of  local  trade ;  although 
here  the  valley  is  limited  to  a  plain  of  half  a  mile  to  a 
mile  and  a  half  in  breadth,  bounded  by  a  ridge  of 
high,  fir -clad  hills. 

From  the  head  of  the  island  up  to  Portland,  a  dis- 
tance of  little  more  than  ^ix  miles,  the  hills  continue 


UP   THE   WALLAMET   TO    PORTLAND.  147 

to  follow  the  southern  bank  of  the  river  at  about  the 
same  distance  back  ;  while  the  opposite  bank  is  only 
moderately  high,  and  rolling.  We  pass  by  Springville, 
a  grain  depot,  on  the  right-hand  side  ;  and  St.  John, 
a  stave  factory,  and  small  settlement,  on  the  other. 
Farm-houses  grow  more  frequent;  wood -yards  and 
gravel -banks  where  flat-boats  are  loading,  tug -boats, 
small  steamers  plying  to  and  fro,  and  all  the  signs  of 
busy  life  accumulate  with  every  mile. 

As  we  approach  Portland  we  observe  its  new,  yet 
thrifty,  appearance ;  the  evidences  of  forests  sacrificed 
to  the  growth  of  a  town ;  and  the  increasing  good  taste 
and  costliness  of  the  buildings  going  up  or  recently 
built  in  the  newest  portions  of  the  city.  A  low,  level 
margin  of  ground,  beautifully  ornamented  with  ma- 
jestic oaks,  intervenes  between  us  and  the  higher 
ground  on  which  the  town  is  built.  Passing  by  this 
and  the  first  few  blocks  of  stores  and  warehouses,  with 
their  ugly  rears  toward  the  river,  we  haul  up  along- 
side a  handsome,  commodious  wharf,  and  begin  to  look 
about  us. 

Portland  is,  we  find,  a  cheerful -looking  town  of 
about  9,000  inhabitants ;  well  paved,  with  handsome 
public  buildings,  and  comfortable,  home-like  dwellings. 
It  is  at  the  head  of  ocean  steam  navigation,  and  owes 
its  prominence  as  the  commercial  town  of  Oregon  to 
that  fact.  Here  the  smaller  steamers  which  ply  on  the 
Wallamet  River  have  hitherto  brought  the  produce  of 
the  valley  to  exchange  for  imported  goods,  or  to  be 
shipped  on  sailing  vessels  to  foreign  ports  ;  and  hero 
has  centered  the  commercial  wealth  and  political  influ- 
ence of  the  State. 

One  hundred  and  ten  miles  from  the  sea  is  Port- 
land, and  twelve  from  the  Columbia.     At  the  first 


148  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

glance,  this  fact  strikes  the  tourist  with  some  surprise. 
But  when  he  remembers  that  the  shores  of  the  Colum- 
bia are  rough  and  heavily  timbered,  while  the  Wal- 
lamet  Valley  is  an  open,  prairie  country,  his  wonder 
vanishes.  A  town  at  this  point  was  a  commercial 
necessity,  so  long  as  the  whole  transportation  business 
of  the  country  depended  on  river  communication. 
What  effect  to  change  commercial  bases  the  opening 
of  long  lines  of  railroad  will  have,  can  hardly  be  de- 
termined before  the  drift  of  trade  has  defined  itself. 
But,  for  the  present,  Portland  is,  in  every  sense,  the 
chief  town  north  of  San  Francisco. 

From  the  relative  importance  of  Portland  to  the 
other  towns  of  the  State,  it  deserves  more  than  a  pass- 
ing notice.  The  site  was  first  taken  up,  in  1843,  by  a 
man  named  Overton,  from  Tennessee.  From  him  the 
title  passed  to  Messrs.  Lovejoy  and  Petty  grove  about 
the  beginning  of  the  following  year,  during  which  the 
first  dwelling — a  log -house — was  erected  near  the 
river,  at  the  foot  of  what  is  now  Washington  Street. 
At  this  time  the  "claim"  was  covered  with  a  dense 
forest  of  firs,  which  began  to  be  cleared  off,  and  the 
land  surveyed  into  blocks  and  lots  in  1845.  A  second 
building  for  a  store  was  erected  this  winter,  near  the 
first  one.  It  was  not,  like  the  dwelling,  of  logs,  but  a 
frame  covered  with  shingles,  and  went  by  the  name  of 
the  "  Shingle  Store  "  long  after  more  ambitious  com- 
petitors had  arisen. 

The  growth  of  the  embryo  town  was  by  no  means 
rapid,  as  the  year  of  its  "taking  up"  witnessed  the 
first  considerable  immigration  to  Oregon.  Of  these 
one  thousand  immigrants,  a  few  stopped  in  Oregon 
City,  tlie  recognized  capital  of  the  Territory,  and  the 
remainder  scattered  over  the  fertile  plains,  in  quest  of 


UP  THE   WALLAMET  TO   PORTLAND.  149 

the  mile  square  of  land  for  which  they  had  come  to 
this  fur -off  country.  The  same  continued  to  be  true 
of  the  steadily  increasing  immigration  of  the  following 
years  ;  so  that  it  was  not  until  1848  that  Portland  at- 
tained to  the  dignity  of  a  name. 

Of  the  two  owners,  one,  Mr.  Pettygrove,  was  from 
Maine,  and  desired  the  bantling  to  be  called  after  the 
chief  town  of  his  native  State.  With  the  same  lauda- 
ble State  love,  Mr.  Lovejoy,  who  was  from  Massachu- 
setts, insisted  on  calling  the  town  Boston.  To  end  the 
dispute  a  penny  was  tossed  up,  and  Mr.  Pettygrove 
winning,  the  future  city  was  christened  Portland. 
When  it  is  taken  into  consideration  that  Portland, 
Maine,  is  nearly  two  degrees  farther  south  than  Port- 
land, Oregon,  and  that  roses  are  blossoming  in  the  gar- 
dens of  the  latter,  while  snow  lies  white  and  winter 
winds  whistle  over  the  leafless  gardens  of  the  former, 
the  older  city  has  no  occasion  to  feel  concerned  for  the 
comfort  of  its  godchild. 

After  being  named,  Portland  changed  owners  again. 
Mr.  Pettj^grove  bought  out  his  partner,  and  afterward 
sold  the  whole  property  to  Mr.  Daniel  H.  Lownsdale, 
receiving  for  it  $5,000  in  leather,  tanned  by  Mr.  Lowns- 
dale in  a  tannery  adjoining  the  town  site.  In  1848, 
or  before  the  gold  discoveries,  money  was  almost  un- 
known in  Oregon  ;  orders  on  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 
pany, the  Methodist  Mission,  and  wheat,  being  the 
currency  of  the  country.  Mr.  Lownsdale,  it  seems, 
had  the  honor  of  introducing  a  new  circulating  me- 
dium, which  was  Oregon-tanned  leather. 

Still  another  change  in  the  proprietorship  occurred 
in  1849 — Lownsdale  selling  an  interest  in  the  town  to 
W.  W.  Chapman  and  Stephen  Coffin.  During  this 
year — there  being  now  about  one  hundred  inhabitants 


150  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

— the  Portlanders  organized  an  association,  and  elected 
trustees  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  building  to  be 
used  as  a  meeting-house  for  religious  services,  and  for 
a  school-house.  It  was  used  also  as  a  court-room ;  and 
continued  to  serve  the  public  in  its  triple  capacity  for 
several  j^ears. 

The  gold  excitement  of  1848-9  for  a  time  had  a  ten- 
dency to  check  improvements  in  Oregon  ;  but  finally 
the  wandering  gold-seekers  began  to  return,  and  culti- 
vate their  neglected  farms.  California  demanded  grain 
and  lumber  ;  and  these  things  Oregon  could  furnish  in 
abundance.  Vessels  now  came  frequently  to  Portland 
from  San  Francisco  and  the  Sandwich  Islands  ;  and  in 
1850  Couch  &  Co.,  of  Portland,  dispatched  a  vessel — 
the  brig  Emma  Preston — to  China.  In  the  same  year 
Captain  John  H.  Couch  had  his  land  claim  surveyed 
into  town  lots,  and  formed  what  is  known  as  "Couch's 
Addition,"  on  the  north  side  of  town.  In  this  year, 
also,  the  pioneer  steamboat  of  Oregon — the  Lot  Whit- 
comb — was  launched  on  the  Wallamet  at  Milwaukee,  on 
Christmas  day  ;  and  the  pioneer  newspaper  of  Port- 
land— the  Weeklij  Oregonian — was  started  by  Thomas  J. 
Dyer. 

In  January,  1851,  Portland  was  incorporated,  having 
then  about  one  thousand  inhabitants.  In  April  the 
city  officers  were  elected,  and  Hugh  D.  O'Bryant  chosen 
Mayor.  Oregon  having  been  erected  into  a  Territory 
by  the  Act  of  Congress,  1848 — her  Governor  arriving 
in  the  spring  of  '49 — an  election  for  delegate  to  Con- 
gress was  held  in  June,  1851  (just  twenty -one  years 
ago),  at  which  Portland  cast  two  hundred  and  twenty- 
two  votes.  In  March  of  that  year  began  the  regular 
montlily  mail  service  between  Portland  and  San  Fran- 
cisco, per  the  steamship  Columbia,  Captain  Dall. 


UP   THE   WALLAMET   TO    PORTLAND.  151 

The  first  brick  building  was  erected  in  1853,  by  Mr. 
"William  S.  Ladd.  Two  years  later  the  city  boasted 
four  churches,  one  academy,  one  public  school,  four 
printing-offices,  about  forty  retail  -  stores  of  various 
kinds,  one  steam  flouring,  and  four  steam  lumber-mills. 
The  taxable  property  of  that  year  was  valued  at  $1,- 
195,034,  or  about  half  the  actual  value  of  the  real 
and  personal  property  of  the  town. 

From  this  time  on  the  growth  of  Portland  has  been 
healthy  and  uniform.  During  the  mining  excitement 
of  the  upper  country  in  1864-5-6,  there  was  a  more 
hurried  growth,  and  more  inflated  condition  of  trade, 
which  subsided,  however,  with  the  excitement  which 
occasioned  it.  Notwithstanding,  there  has  been  more 
costly  and  substantial  improvement,  both  public  and 
private,  within  the  five  years  last  past  than  ever  be- 
fore. Some  of  the  business  buildings  and  stores  erected 
within  that  time  are  of  truly  metropolitan  elegance 
and  dimensions.  The  Court-house,  the  new  Methodist 
Church,  and  the  Custom  House  and  Post-office,  are 
large  and  costly  edifices. 

The  city  has  fine  public  schools,  and  more  than  an 
equal  number  of  seminaries,  academies,  and  private 
schools.  The  Portland  Academy,  a  IMethodist  institu- 
tion, is  a  flourishiiig  school  for  pupils  of  both  sexes. 
St.  Helen's  Hall,  a  seminary  for  young  ladies,  is  under 
control  of  the  Bishop  of  the  Episcopal  Church  ;  who 
also  has  recently  established  a  grammar-school  for 
boys.  Both  these  seminaries  are  in  a  very  flourishing 
condition.  The  Roman  Catholic  Church,  also,  has  two 
schools,  and  the  Jewish  population  one. 

Of  churches,  Portland  boasts  a  goodly  number  :  two 
Roman  Catholic,  one  Methodist,  two  Episcopalian,  two 
Jewish,  one  Baptist,  one  Presbyterian,  one  Congrega- 


152  OREGON   AND  WASHINGTON. 

tional,  one  Unitarian,  one  Lutheran,  and  one  chapel 
for  the  colored  population.  Numerically  the  Catholic 
and  Methodist  denominations  are  the  strongest,  and 
the  Unitarian  the  weakest. 

Public  amusements  are  only  tolerably  well  supported. 
A  fine  theatre,  however,  is  in  course  of  construction, 
which  will  supply  a  public  want.  An  Academy  of  Mu- 
sic, and  a  Musical  Society,  supported  principally  by  the 
Jews,  give  occasional  entertainments ;  and  the  brass 
bands  are  in  the  habit  of  discoursing  sweet  sounds 
upon  the  Plaza  one  or  two  afternoons  in  a  week,  when 
all  the  youth,  beauty,  and  fashion  of  Portland  come 
out  for  a  promenade.  A  skating-rink  furnishes  amuse- 
ment to  the  lovers  of  that  exercise.  Driving  fast 
horses  is  quite  a  fashionable  recreation  ;  and  an  exhi- 
bition of  Oregon  stock  is  by  no  means  an  inferior  one. 
A  public  library,  comprising  four  or  five  thousand  vol- 
umes, with  a  handsome  chess -room  in  connection,  of- 
fers attractions  to  the  visitor  and  resident  alike.  The 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association  have  also  a  read- 
ing-room in  the  same  building. 

The  Odd  Fellows  have  four  associations,  and  a  very 
fine  temple  ;  the  Masonic  Order,  three  associations  and 
an  elegant  building ;  the  Good  Templars  have  three 
lodges,  and  there  are  several  benevolent  societies  be- 
sides. The  Fire  Department  consists  of  over  two 
hundred  active  members,  with  two  steam  fire-engines, 
two  hand -engines,  and  one  hook -and -ladder  truck, 
and  hose  carts.  The  department  is  very  efiicient,  and 
large  fires  are  of  rare  occurrence. 

There  are  in  Portland  three  large  book -stores,  and 
one  or  two  stationery  stores ;  three  daily  and  weekly 
political  newspapers,  and  one  religious  paper,  pub- 
lished weekly;   there    are    four   banking-houses,   in- 


UP  THE   WALLAMET  TO   PORTLAND.  153 

eluding  a  branch  of  the  Bank  of  British  Columbia, 
besides  half  a  dozen  brokers,  and  several  real -estate 
agents.  All  the  ordinary  branches  of  business  are 
well  represented,  and  the  amount  of  taxable  property 
in  Portland  is  assessed  at  a  value  of  between  five  and 
six  millions.  Its  actual  value  is  probably  much  greater. 
The  city  tax  amounts  to  ten  mills  on  the  dollar.  It  is 
said  that  Portland  is  one  of  the  richest  towns  of  the 
size  in  the  United  States.  There  are  ten  of  its 
business  men  whose  incomes  range  from  $16,000  to 
$50,000  ;  ten  more  with  incomes  ranging  from  $8,000 
to  $12,000  ;  and  ten  more  having  incomes  of  from 
$5,000  to  $8,000  ;  besides  the  capital  owned  and  con- 
trolled by  the  Banking,  Navigation,  and  Railroad  com- 
panies. The  improvements  in  the  city  for  the  year 
1871  amount  to  $2,000,000. 

Portland  has  a  good  drainage,  the  ground  rising 
gently  back  from  the  river.  It  is  at  present  supplied 
with  plank  sewers,  which  are  generally  kept  in  good  con- 
dition. A  water  company  supplies  the  city  with  water; 
and  a  gas  company  furnishes  gas  for  lighting  the  streets, 
public  buildings,  and  stores,  and  such  private  dwell- 
ings as  are  not  too  remote  from  the  mains.  The  sur- 
veyed limits  of  the  city  include  about  three  square 
miles ;  the  higher  ground  at  the  back  being  very  de- 
sirable for  residences  from  its  superior  healthfulness, 
and  the  fme  views  to  be  obtained.  From  any  part  of 
the  city  a  quarter  of  a  mile  back,  Mount  Hood  is  seen 
in  its  finest  aspect,  rising  grandly  above  the  fir -clad 
slopes  of  the  Cascade  Range.  It  marks  the  place  of 
the  sun's  rising  in  the  summer  months  ;  and  passes  at 
evening,  when  reflecting  the  hues  of  sunset,  through 
many  beautiful  gradations  of  light  and  color.  Even 
by  moonlight  its  spectral  shape  is  still  discernible  at 
11 


154  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

the  distance  of  sixty  miles.  St.  Helen,  also,  may  be 
seen  from  the  upper  part  of  the  city;  and,  from  some 
points.  Mount  Jefferson. 

Portland  has  not  a  ''back  country" — that  is,  it  is 
divided  from  the  agricultural  portion  of  the  valley  on 
the  west  by  the  mountain  ridge,  which,  commencing 
some  miles  south  of  this  place,  follows  the  west  bank 
of  the  Wallamet  to  its  lower  mouth.  The  road  which 
leads  to  the  plains  leaves  Portland  by  a  narrow  ravine, 
and,  following  the  pass  of  a  stream,  crosses  the  mount- 
ains through  a  dense  forest  of  firs  and  pines.  It  is  a 
pleasant-enough  drive  in  summer,  but  quite  the  reverse 
during  the  rainy  season.  By  the  beginning  of  1872, 
however,  the  Oregon  Central  Railroad  will  have  been 
completed  from  this  city  to  the  town  of  Hillsboro,  a 
distance  of  twenty  miles — four  or  five  miles  beyond 
the  timbered  ridge.  There  is  a  beautiful,  short  drive 
of  macadamized  road,  extending  about  six  miles  south 
of  town,  along  the  bank  of  the  river,  and  terminating 
at  the  Milwaukee  Ferry,  or  the  "White  House."  The 
road  down  the  river  is  not  a  good  one,  though  a  very 
little  expense  would  make  it  so,  and  it  might  be  con- 
tinued all  the  way  to  St.  Helen,  making  a  pleasant  and 
useful  highway ;  but  the  small  steamers  that  run  on  all 
the  rivers  have  made  roads  of  secondary  importance 
near  the  margins  of  these  streams. 

The  river  in  front  of  Portland  is  about  one- quarter 
of  a  mile  wide,  with  water  enough  for  large  vessels  to 
lie  in  ;  and  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  tide  amounts  to  a 
couple  of  feet.  During  the  winter  flood  in  the  Wal- 
lamet, which  is  occasioned  by  heavy  rains,  the  water 
rises  about  eight  feet.  For  this  reason  the  wharves 
are  all  built  in  two  stories  —  one  for  low,  and  one  for 
high-water.     The  great  flood  of  1862,  and  that  of  1870, 


UP  THE  WALLAMET  TO   PORTLAND.  155 

brought  the  water  over  the  upper  wharves  and  even 
over  Front  street,  which  is  twenty -five  feet  above  low- 
water  mark.  The  summer  flood  in  the  Columbia, 
occasioned  by  the  melting  of  snow  in  the  mountains 
where  it  has  its  sources,  backs  the  water  up  in  the 
Wallamet  as  far  as  the  falls  at  Oregon  City,  which 
again  makes  it  necessary  to  abandon  the  lower  wharves. 
These  two  rises  keep  this  portion  of  the  Wallamet  sup- 
plied with  water  through  the  greater  portion  of  the 
year ;  but  it  is  necessary  to  dredge  the  channel  below 
the  city  in  the  latter  part  of  the  summer.  Since  the 
dredger  came  into  use  no  vessels  have  been  stopped 
by  bars,  but  all  discharge  their  freight  at  the  wharves. 

There  is  a  regular  line  of  ocean  steamers  belonging 
to  the  North  Pacific  Transportation  Company — Holla- 
day  and  Brenham,  owners  —  which  makes  three  or  four 
trips  a  month  between  San  Francisco  and  Portland  ; 
and  another  line  owned  by  the  same  company,  making 
about  the  same  number  of  trips  to  Victoria  and  Puget 
Sound.  The  Oregon  Steam  Navigation  Company  run 
steamers  upon  the  Columbia  River  and  several  of  its 
smaller  tributaries — semi -weekly  to  Astoria,  daily  to 
the  Cowlitz  River  and  intermediate  points,  and  daily 
to  the  Cascades  and  Dalles  City  ;  semi -weekly,  or  tri- 
weekly, from  Dalles  to  Wallula  ;  and  at  stated  periods 
on  the  Snake  River  and  Northern  branch  of  the  Co- 
lumbia. Sailing  vessels  run  quite  regularly  to  the 
Sandwich  Islands,  China,  South  America,  and  New 
York,  as  well  as  to  San  Francisco  ;  and  the  trade  is 
yearly  increasing. 

The  facilities  for  travel  in  the  Wallamet  Valley,  and 
southward,  are:  first,  the  Oregon  and  California  Rail- 
road, which  is  already  in  running  order  to  the  head  of 
the  valley  on  the  east  side,  connecting  with  a  line  of 


156  OREGON  AND   WASHINGTON. 

stages  to  Red  Bluff,  in  California ;  and,  secondly,  a 
steamer  line  on  the  Wallamet  River,  owned  by  the 
Railroad  Company,  and  plying  between  Portland  and 
all  points  on  the  river  north  of  Eugene  City,  when  there 
is  a  sufficient  stage  of  water.  A  stage  line  starting 
from  Portland  on  the  west  side  of  the  valley,  carries 
passengers  to  Corvallis,  where  they  connect  with  the 
railroad.  The  Oregon  Central,  or  ''West  Side"  road, 
will  soon  do  away  with  staging  through  this  portion  of 
the  valley  also.  Travel  by  land  is  by  no  means  difficult 
in  any  portion  of  the  Wallamet  Valley,  the  roads  being 
excellent  and  the  conveyances  good.  On  some  of  the 
smaller  streams  there  are  steamers  plying,  connecting 
with  the  main  lines  of  travel ;  and  each  year  increases 
these  facilities  for  locomotion. 

Portland  is  well  supplied  with  hotels,  which  in  gen- 
eral answer  very  well  to  the  awkward  guest's  descrip- 
tion of  his  dinner,  "Good  enough,  what  there  was  of 
it;  and  enough  of  it  unless  it  were  better."  The  latest 
built,  and  very  well  conducted,  is  the  St.  Charles,  on 
Front  Street.  Another  and  larger  one  will  soon  be 
finished  near  the  steamer  landing;  but  the  town  seems 
to  need  a  commodious  hotel  farther  back  from  the 
river,  away  from  the  confusion  and  crowd  of  business 
movements. 

East  Portland,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river, 
contains  about  one  thousand  inhabitants.  It  has  a 
fine,  level  site,  and  a  pleasant  country  back  of  it. 
Considerable  importance  attaches  to  it  on  account  of 
its  being  the  initial  point  of  the  Oregon  and  California 
Railroad,  and  the  location  of  its  machine-shops  and 
warehouses.  A  steam -ferry  connects  it  at  present 
with  Portland,  and  it  is  soon  to  be  united  to  the  lat- 
ter place  by  a  bridge  over  the  Wallamet,  the  contract 


UP   THE   WALLAMET   TO    PORTLAND.  157 

for  getting  out  the  timbers  having  been  given  to 
the  St.  Helen  Milling  Company.  Improvements  are 
rapidly  increasing  in  East  Portland,  and  property  is 
held  at  a  pretty  high  figure.  The  Railroad  Wharf  is 
1,250  feet  long  by  70  in  breadth;  is  built  in  a  slope  to 
accommodate  it  to  the  different  stages  of  water,  and 
has  a  substantial  warehouse  upon  it  370  feet  long  by 
42  wide — being  just  half  the  size  of  the  corresponding 
wharf  and  warehouse  on  the  west  side  of  the  river. 

East  Portland  contains  some  fine  residences,  several 
churches,  and  a  bank,  and  supports  a  newspaper  of  its 
own,  as  well  as  several  societies  and  orders. 

About  two  miles  above  the  town  are  the  machine- 
shops  and  car -building  establishments  of  the  Oregon 
and  California  Railroad  ;  and  about  four  miles  above 
town  is  the  Company's  saw -mill — one  of  the  largest 
and  most  complete  in  the  State.  When  in  full  opera- 
tion it  employs  sixty  men  as  sawyers,  attendants,  log- 
gers, and  drivers  ;  and  is  capable  of  cutting  1,000,000 
feet  per  month. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

OREGON    CITY. 

That  portion  of  the  Wallamet  between  Portland  and 
Oregon  City,  a  distance  of  twelve  miles,  is  very  charm- 
ing, in  a  quiet,  picturesque  style.  On  the  east  side 
the  country  is  level,  the  banks  being  moderately  high, 
and  well  wooded.  On  the  west  side  the  mountains 
keep  along,  at  a  little  distance  back  from  the  river,  for 
some  miles.  We  pass  by  a  skirting  of  bottom  -  land, 
with  a  belt  of  oak-trees  on  a  slight  ridge,  and  soon 
come  abreast  of  Oak  Island,  a  longish,  narrow  island 
— covered  with  a  growth  of  fine,  large  oak-trees — on 
which  is  a  house  or  two.  The  island,  we  believe,  is 
used  as  a  milk -ranch,  the  alluvial  nature  of  the  soil 
making  it  a  good  piece  of  pasture  -  ground. 

A  romantic  bit  of  history  is  told  in  connection  with 
this  island.  In  the  early  times  of  American  occupancy 
in  Oregon — that  is,  about  1841 — a  half-dozen  young 
men  who  had  strayed  to  this  remote  corner  of  the 
world,  where  they  found  nobody  except  fur -traders 
and  missionaries,  became  dissatisfied  with  a  country 
where  there  were  no  white  women  whom  they  could 
marry;  and  being  determined  not  to  take  Indian  wives, 
as  too  many  others  were  willing  to  do,  resorted  to  this 
island,  and  together  built  a  small  schooner,  with  the 
purpose  of  getting  to  California.  The  only  place  in 
the  country  where  they  could  procure  sails,  cordage, 
and  rigging  generally,  was  at  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 


OREGON   CITY.  159 

pany's  post,  Fort  Vancouver.  But  Dr.  McLaughlin 
looked  upon  their  scheme  as  a  hair -brained  one,  and 
refused  to  assist  them  to  peril  their  lives  in  the  man- 
ner proposed. 

However,  the  United  States  Exploring  Squadron  hap- 
pened upon  the  coast  about  that  time,  and  the  young 
men  complained  to  Lieut.  Wilkes  that  Dr.  McLaughlin 
would  not  aid  them,  giving  what  they  supposed  to  be 
the  reason.  Upon  Wilkes  representing  the  wishes  and 
firm  determination  of  the  adventurers  to  the  Doctor,  he 
consented  that  they  should  be  permitted  to  sacrifice 
themselves  in  their  own  fashion.  Their  vessel  was 
supplied  with  every  thing  requisite,  they  went  to  sea 
in  her,  reached  San  Francisco  in  safety,  and  sold  their 
little  craft  for  a  handsome  sum — actually  making  a 
very  good  speculation  out  of  their  seemingly  desper- 
ate undertaking.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  when  they 
reached  home,  they  found  young  women  deserving 
of  such  heroic  perseverance  and  unflinching  bravery. 
The  name  of  their  lucky  little  craft  was,  The  Star  of 
Oregon. 

Above  Oak  Island  the  river  narrows  somewhat,  but 
preserves  its  attractiveness.  The  first  settlement  as- 
piring to  be  reckoned  a  town  is  at  Oswego,  about  six 
miles  up,  on  the  right  bank  ;  and  is  celebrated  for  be- 
ing the  first  and  only  iron  -  smelting  establishment  in 
the  State.  The  smeltiug-works  were  erected  in  1867, 
at  a  cost  of  $100,000  ;  but  owing  to  some  necessity 
for  paying  a  heavy  royalty  for  the  privilege  of  taking 
out  the  ore,  was  not  at  first  considered  profitable. 
Nevertheless,  considerable  pig-iron,  of  the  best  quality, 
has  been  manufactured  here,  both  for  Portland  and 
San  Francisco  foundries.  There  is  also  a  large  lumber- 
mill  at  this  place. 


160  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

At  Milwaukie,  on  the  east  or  left  bank  of  the  river, 
is  the  famous  "Standard"  flouring-mill,  which  exports 
"best  Oregon,"  in  large  shipments,  to  San  Francisco, 
the  Sandwich  Islands,  and  New  York.  Here,  too,  is 
the  first  nursery  of  the  Pacific  Coast.  From  the 
grounds  of  Meek  and  Lluelling,  at  this  place,  were 
taken  the  first  cultivated  apple-trees  ;  and  the  earliest 
export  of  this  fruit  was  made  to  San  Francisco  in  1853, 
when  two  hundred  pounds  brought  five  hundred  dol- 
lars. The  following  year  the  same  firm  sold  forty 
bushels  for  $62.50  a  bushel !  From  that  time  to  this 
Oregon  has  maintained  its  reputation  for  apple-raising, 
until  " the  land  of  red  apples,"  or  "the  land  of  cider," 
has  come  to  be  its  synonym. 

Milwaukie  is  one  of  those  towns  that  started  m  as 
the  rival  of  some  other  town — Oregon  City,  in  this  in- 
stance— and  could  not  sustain  itself.  It  has,  however, 
great  advantages  for  milling  and  manufacturing,  from 
the  abundance  of  water-power  in  its  vicinity  available 
for  these  purposes.  The  Wallamet  receives  within  a 
dozen  miles  three  tributaries,  either  of  which  is  a  good 
milling  stream.  Milwaukie  has  a  large  tannery,  which 
turns  out  as  good  leather  as  is  made  on  the  coast — a 
branch  of  business  very  profitable  in  this  country. 

As  we  approach  Oregon  City  the  river  becomes  quite 
narrow  in  places,  and  in  summer,  when  the  water  is 
low,  the  channel  is  barely  wide  enough  for  the  steamer 
to  pass  between  the  gravel  bars.  The  attention  of  the 
tourist  is  first  attracted,  on  nearing  the  town,  to  the 
spray,  which  rises  like  a  mist  from  the  river,  just  above 
the  steamer's  landing,  and  he  gazes  with  ever-increasing 
interest  upon  the  leaping,  foaming  cataract  of  the  Wal- 
lamet, which,  although  less  in  height  and  in  volume  than 
Niagara,  has  much  of  the  same  grandeur  and  force. 


OREGON    CITY.  IGl 

Formerly  it  was  necessary  to  make  a  portage  of  more 
than  a  mile  around  the  falls  ;  but  the  basin,  constructed 
at  a  great  expense  by  the  People's  Transportation 
Company,  now  enables  boats  to  come  down  to  the 
warehouse,  and  the  passengers  are  transferred  by  sim- 
ply passing  through  a  long,  covered  building  to  the 
boat  lying  in  the  basin  at  its  upper  extremity.  From 
the  deck  of  the  second  steamer  a  perfect  view  of  the 
falls  is  obtained. 

Oregon  City  stands  upon  a  bed  of  basaltic  rock — a 
ledge  of  which  extends  quite  across  the  river,  and 
crops  out  on  the  opposite  side.  This  ledge  is  about 
twenty  feet  higher  than  the  surface  of  the  water  below 
the  falls,  and  worn  and  broken  into  a  jagged  crescent, 
with  rather  a  sharp  angle  in  the  centre,  where  the 
river  deflects  toward  the  western  shore.  In  low  or  or- 
dinary stage  of  water  the  stream  divides  into  several 
parts,  seeking  the  deepest  channels  in  the  rocks,  and 
forming  a  number  of  different  cataracts  ;  yet  the  cen- 
tral one,  at  the  angle  spoken  of,  is  always  the  princi- 
pal one.  Above  the  falls  the  river  parts,  flowing  around 
an  island  of  rock,  on  which  once  stood  a  mill  belonging 
to  the  Methodist  Mission,  but  which  was  carried  away 
in  the  great  flood  of  1862,  along  with  numerous  other 
buildings  from  the  mainland. 

The  current,  always  strong  just  above  the  falls,  is 
terrific  when  the  heavy  rains  of  winter  have  swollen 
all  the  tributaries  of  the  river,  and  filled  its  banks  with 
a  rushing  torrent  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  in  depth.  At 
such  times  the  rocks  are  mostly  hidden,  and  the  falls 
extend  from  shore  to  shore,  or  about  a  quarter  of  a 
mile.  In  the  early  history  of  the  country,  a  party  of 
four  persons — two  gentlemen  and  two  ladies — with 
their  two  Indian  boatmen,  were  carried  over  the  falls 


162  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

by  the  force  of  the  current  while  attempting  to  make 
a  landing  above.  A  few  years  later  a  small  steamer 
became  unmanageable,  and  was  borne  swiftly  to  de- 
struction in  the  maelstrom  below  the  central  fall,  car- 
rying with  it  the  captain  and  three  others  to  an 
appalling  death.  The  current  which  sets  into  the 
"basin"  in  high-water  is  alarming  to  the  nervous  pas- 
senger ;  and  a  steamboat  is  often  an  hour  in  getting 
out  of  it  into  the  river  above,  during  which  hour  he 
has  plenty  of  time  to  imagine  all  that  might  happen 
should  the  machinery  become  disabled,  or  the  cables 
part,  which,  for  greater  safety,  connect  the  boat  with 
the  shore.  In  ordinary  stages  of  water  there  is  no 
difficulty  in  contending  with  the  force  of  the  water. 
A  canal  around  the  falls  is  in  course  of  construction, 
which  will  do  away  with  the  portage  entirely. 

The  Falls  of  the  Wallamet  constitute  the  great 
water-power  of  the  State.  The  favorite  term  for  Ore- 
gon City  is,  "The  Lowell  of  the  Pacific  Coast;"  and 
there  is  indeed  every  natural  agency  here  for  the 
making  of  a  second  Lowell.  One  of  the  largest 
woolen -mills  of  the  State  is  located  here.  It  is  built 
substantially  of  stone  and  brick,  four  stories  high, 
and  190  by  60  feet  in  ground  area ;  and  contains 
twelve  sets  of  the  most  improved  machinery.  Its 
manufactures  are  blankets,  flannels,  and  cassimeres,  and 
light  cloths.  It  is  the  intention  of  the  Company  in 
time  to  manufacture  delaines,  and  other  fabrics  used 
for  women's  dresses. 

The  celebrated  "Imperial"  flouring-mill  is  located 
at  Oregon  City,  which  has  a  capacity  for  turning  out 
five  hundred  barrels  of  flour  every  twenty -four  hours. 
Another  flouring-mill;  a  paper-mill,  for  the  manu- 
facture of  coarse  and  printing  paper;  a  lumber-mill, 


OREGON    CITY.  163 

machine-shops,  and  other  industries,  show  the  busi- 
ness resources  of  the  place,  which,  although  the  oldest 
town  in  Oregon,  is  yet  only  a  small  one. 

Oregon  City,  like  Portland,  has  a  good  number  of 
churches  —  Methodist,  Episcopal,  Catholic,  Baptist, 
and  Congregational.  A  seminary,  and  graded  public 
school,  besides  two  or  three  private  schools,  furnish 
educational  facilities.  A  Government  Land  Office  is 
located  here,  where  the  lands  for  the  northern  portion 
of  the  State  are  entered.  The  necessary  transfer  and 
handling  of  all  freights  intended  for  the  valley,  or 
coming  from  it,  gave  Oregon  City  formerly  a  great 
deal  of  business.  The  opening  of  the  Oregon  and 
California  Railroad  may  divert  a  portion  of  this  freight 
from  the  river,  but  there  must  always  remain  a  much 
larger  amount  of  the  transportation  of  the  valley 
which  will  seek  the  cheaper  water-carriage. 

Oregon  City  was  first  claimed  by  Dr.  John  McLaugh- 
lin, of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  in  1829,  who  com- 
menced to  build  a  saw -mill  at  the  falls.  Three  log- 
houses  were  erected  that  winter,  and  timbers  squared 
for  the  mill;  but  the  building  progressed  no  further  at 
that  time.  Some  portion  of  the  land  was  planted  to 
potatoes  in  the  following  spring;  and  in  1832  the  mill- 
race  was  blasted.  The  houses  built  in  1829  were  de- 
stroyed by  the  Indians,  and  replaced  in  1838  by  one 
small  dwelling  and  store -house;  and  the  square  tim- 
bers for  the  mill  were  hauled  upon  the  ground,  but 
not  put  together  that  year.  In  the  meantime  the 
Methodist  Mission  asked,  and  obtained,  permission  to 
build  upon  the  claim,  which  they  did  in  1840,  erecting 
a  dwelling  and  store-house  in  one ;  and  Mr.  A.  F.  Waller 
took  possession  of,  and  resided  in,  this  building. 

Disputes   then   arose   as   to   the  possession  of  the 


164  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

claim,  and  a  series  of  aggressions,  concessions,  and 
compromises  took  place.  In  the  meantime  the  Mission 
opened  a  store,  receiving  a  fresh  supply  of  goods  in 
1842.  There  was  also  a  Milling  Company  formed  this 
year,  which  proceeded  to  build  a  saw -mill  on  the 
island,  already  mentioned.  Several  gentlemen  came 
out  from  the  States  that  fall,  one  or  more  of  whom 
entered  into  trade  at  Oregon  City,  or  Wallamet  Falls, 
as  it  was  then  called.  In  the  following  year  quite  a 
large  immigration  arrived ;  such  persons  as  did  not  de- 
sire to  reside  upon  farms,  congregating  at  this  place. 
Soon  a  Provisional  Government  was  talked  of,  was 
finally  decided  upon,  and  adopted.  Oregon  City  be- 
came the  recognized  capital,  as  it  was  the  principal 
seat  of  American  enterprise  in  the  Territory.  As  early 
as  1846  it  boasted  a  newspaper — the  Oregon  Spectator — a 
seminary,  and  a  debating  club.  Its  pretensions  to  lit- 
erary attainments,  judging  from  the  contributions  to 
the  Spectator,  were  very  well  founded.  From  the  same 
source  we  learn  that  it  was  not  without  its  social  enter- 
tainments, its  local  politics,  and  other  excitements — 
and,  from  the  advertising  columns,  that  almost  every 
branch  of  business  common  to  the  ordinary  town  life 
was  even  then  represented  ;  while  an  export  trade  was 
carried  on  by  Dr.  McLaughlin,  and  in  a  measure  by 
the  Americans — the  articles  exported  being  lumber 
and  wheat. 

Oregon  City  continued  to  maintain  its  supremacy 
until  the  gold  discovery  in  California,  which,  giving 
rise  to  an  active  commerce  with  that  country,  imparted 
to  Portland  an  impetus  that  soon  enabled  it  to  outstrip 
the  city  at  the  falls,  which  had  not  the  required  depth 
of  water  for  floating  an  extensive  merchant  navy. 
Railroads  will  ultimately  remove  any  disabilities  of 


OREGON   CITY.  1C5 

that  kind,  and  with  its  splendid  water-power,  backed 
by  a  country  productive  in  soil,  timber,  and  mineral 
deposits,  its  future  seems  as  well  assured  as  that  of  any 
town  in  Oregon. 

Canemah,  a  mile  or  more  above  Oregon  City,  and 
ultimately  to  be  a  portion  of  it,  was  the  upper  landing 
when  the  People's  Transportation  Company  used  to 
transport  their  freight  and  passengers  around  the  falls 
by  a  horse-railroad.  It  is  rather  a  more  favorable  site 
for  building  than  just  about  the  falls,  where  a  high 
bench  of  trap  -  formation  crowds  the  lower  portion  of 
the  town  quite  to  the  river -bank. 

Opposite  to  Oregon  City  is  another  of  those  abortive 
attempts  at  a  town  for  which  this  country  is  rather 
remarkable.  Of  this  one,  nothing  now  remains  but 
one  or  two  decayed  buildings,  and  the  name  —  Linn  — 
after  that  Missouri  Senator  who  introduced  the  Ore- 
gon Land  Bill,  of  1843,  which  occasioned  the  immi- 
gration of  that  year. 

From  Oregon  City,  for  a  distance  of  more  than  fifty 
miles  by  the  river,  there  are  no  towns  of  any  impor- 
tance;  though  there  are  numerous  "landings,"  where 
freight  is  put  on  or  off  for  various  places  in  the  inte- 
rior, indicating  that  there  is  a  considerable  population 
scattered  through  the  valley.  The  scenerj'  of  the 
Wallamet  is  of  rather  a  monotonous  character,  though 
pretty — the  best  portion  of  it  being  between  Portland 
and  Rock  Island,  above  Oregon  City  a  short  distance. 
After  this  is  passed,  we  begin  to  wish  away  the  belt  of 
timber  which  hides  the  level  country  back  of  it.  It  is 
not,  however,  until  about  twenty  or  twenty- five  miles 
have  been  passed  above  Portland,  that  the  prairie 
country  commences  ;  the  lower  portion  of  the  Wal- 
lamet Valley  toward  the  Columbia  being  heavily  tim- 


166  OREGON    AND   WASHINGTON. 

bered.  Even  when  we  Lave  come  opposite  to  the 
open  plains,  there  is  still  a  screen  of  trees  between  us 
and  them. 

It  is  apparent  that  most  of  the  level  country  lies  on 
the  eastern  side  of  the  river,  and  that  a  chain  of  hills 
crosses  the  west  side  of  the  valley  transversely.  Some 
of  the  high,  rolling  land  of  the  west  side  offers  beauti- 
ful farm-sites,  preferable  for  their  splendid  views  and 
sunny  exposures  to  the  level  plains.  Fruit,  it  is  un- 
derstood, does  better  upon  these  farms  than  upon 
those  of  the  prairie. 

Steaming  along  up  at  rather  a  low  rate  of  speed, 
there  is  little  to  entertain  the  traveler,  except  the  fre- 
quent windings,  the  luxuriant  vegetation  of  the  river- 
banks,  and  observations  on  the  current,  which  is  often 
very  rapid.  There  is  a  fall  of  400  feet  in  the  125 
miles  between  Portland  and  Eugene  City,  at  the  head  of 
high -water  navigation  on  the  Wallamet.  This  being 
true,  rapids  might  reasonably  be  looked  for  in  this 
river.  At  no  place,  except  at  Oregon  City,  is  naviga- 
tion seriously  impeded  by  them  ;  but  very  frequently 
they  give  the  shallow,  narrow  hull  of  our  boat  all  it 
can  do  to  make  its  wa}^  against  them.  The  water  is 
beautifully  clear,  and  the  bed  of  the  stream  has  a 
gravelly  bottom. 

Mention  should  be  made  of  Champoeg,  the  French- 
Canadian  settlement  of  the  retired  servants  of  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company,  on  the  east  side  of  the  river, 
twelve  or  fifteen  miles  above  Oregon  City.  It  was 
here  that  the  ''Organic  Laws"  were  adopted  by  a 
majority  of  the  Oregon  settlers,  in  May,  1843,  and  a 
Provisional  Government  erected,  to  last  until  such 
time  as  the  United  States  Government  sliould  see  fit 
to  acknowledge  Oregon  as  one  of  her-  Territories. 


OREGON   CITY.  1G7 

About  twenty -five  miles  above  Oregon  City,  the 
Yamhill  River  enters  the  Wallamet  from  the  west. 
It  is  a  narrow  stream,  and  its  entrance  is  almost  hidden 
by  the  profusion  of  overhanging  shrubbery  and  trees. 
Waiting  here  for  freight  and  passengers,  is  the  Dayton^ 
a  commodious  steamer  of  light  draught,  which  will  con- 
vey us,  if  we  so  elect,  to  the  towns  of  Dayton,  La 
Fayette,  or  McMinnville,  in  Yamhill  County — one  of 
the  finest  agricultural  portions  of  the  State,  and  cele- 
brated for  having  domiciled,  at  one  time  or  another, 
almost  every  person  of  prominence  in  the  State,  prior 
to  1868. 

Above  the  Yamhill,  the  traveler  sees  nothing  of  in- 
terest, beyond  a  wood -yard  or  a  grist-mill,  all  the 
way  to  Salem.  There  is,  however,  a  memorable  spot 
twelve  miles  below  Salem,  on  the  east  bank,  where  the 
Methodist  Mission  made  its  first  location  in  1834;  this 
being  the  very  first  American  settlement  in  the  Wal- 
lamet Valley.  Here,  too,  in  1843,  after  the  acceptance 
of  the  Organic  Laws,  was  held  the  first  Legislative  As- 
sembly of  nine  persons;  their  Council  Chamber  being 
a  public  room  in  a  building  belonging  to  the  mission, 
known  as  "The  Granary."  Subsequently,  the  Legis- 
lature removed  its  sessions  to  Oregon  City.  The  high- 
water  of  1862  carried  away  a  portion  of  the  old  mis- 
sion ground,  which  was  situated  on  the  bank  of  the 
river,  where  the  open  prairie  approaches  quite  to  it. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

SALEM   AND    ITS    SURROUNDINGS. 

"While  we  are  overcoming  the  last  twelve  miles  of 
quiet  voyaging  between  the  "Old  Mission"  and  Salem, 
we  may  as  well  consider  their  relationship.  In  the 
autumn  of  1840,  the  Methodist  Mission  built  a  mill  on 
a  stream  twelve  miles  south  of  their  first  establishment, 
at  a  place  called  by  the  Indians  Chemeketa,  and  find- 
ing the  situation  every  way  a  better  one  than  that, 
removed  the  mission  to  it  in  the  following  year.  The 
first  dwelling  was  erected  at  some  distance  back  from 
the  river,  on  the  bank  of  a  stream  known  as  Mill 
Creek,  in  a  very  pleasant  and  convenient  location,  with 
an  extensive  plain  on  one  hand,  and  a  charmingly 
wooded,  rolling  landscape  on  the  other.  In  1843,  the 
large  frame -building,  for  many  years  known  as  ''The 
Institute,"  was  erected,  as  a  school  for  Indian  children; 
but  the  savages  not  taking  very  kindly  to  study,  the 
mission  was  dissolved  in  1844,  after  which  time  the 
Oregon  Institute  became  a  seminary  of  learning  for 
whoever  chose  to  patronize  it,  although  it  still  re- 
mained under  the  control  of  the  Methodist  denomina- 
tion, and  was  converged  ultimately  into  a  university. 

Upon  the  sale  of  the  mission  property,  the  town- 
site  of  Salem  was  laid  out  by  Mr.  W.  II.  Wilson,  and 
received  its  present  name.  It  is  very  handsomely 
located  upon  a  gravelly  prairie,  rising  gradually  back 
from  the  river, .  which  is  skirted  with  groves  of  tall 


SALEM   AND   ITS  SURROUNDINGS.  169 

trees.  Other  groves  of  firs  and  oaks  relieve  the  level 
monotony  of  the  landscape  for  a  couple  of  miles  away 
to  the  north  and  east ;  while  the  hills  across  Mill  Creek 
are  wooded  like  parks,  with  a  variety  of  trees.  Across 
the  Wallamet,  and  fronting  the  town,  is  a  range  of 
high  land  called  the  '^Polk  County  Hills,"  which  makes 
the  greatest  charm  of  the  whole  view  of  Salem.  In 
outline  and  coloring,  these  hills  are  poetically  beauti- 
ful. Should  we  chance  to  drive  in  the  direction  of  the 
Penitentiary  grounds  (east),  a  lovely  landscape  lies 
stretched  on  either  side,  melting  and  blending  into  one 
complete  picture.  The  town  is  backed  by  the  Polk 
County  Hills,  to  the  west ;  the  "Waldo  Hills"  (another 
arable  range),  to  the  south-east;  the  blue  Cascade 
Range  with  its  overtopping  snow -peaks,  to  the  north- 
east ;  groves  of  fine,  large  oaks  and  firs  breaking  the 
middle  distance  ;  while  immediately  about  us  are  level 
farms  and  fields  of  waving  grain,  with  a  substantial 
farm-house,  here  and  there,  in  their  midst. 

Salem  is  a  comfortably  built  town,  with  an  air  of 
stability  and  propriety  about  it.  The  streets  are  wide, 
the  lots  large,  and  the  dwellings  neat,  with  well-kept 
gardens  attached.  Shade- trees — locust  and  maple — 
line  the  broad  avenues  ;  and  the  public  square  is  of 
liberal  proportions,  promising  "lungs"  to  the  city, 
should  it  grow  large  enough  to  need  this  breathing- 
space  in  its  midst.  Although  the  capital  of  Oregon, 
it  has  as  yet  no  State  buildings  upon  its  spacious 
square.  During  Territorial  days,  there  was  in  Oregon 
the  usual  struggle  between  rival  to^vns  to  secure  the 
capital.  Salem,  having  triumphantly  carried  off  the 
honor  and  the  Government  appropriations,  had  bitter 
enemies,  as  might  be  expected  ;  and  when  the  hand- 
some State  House  was  near  its  completion,  it  was  un- 

12 


170  OREGON   AND  WASHINGTON. 

fortunately  and  mysteriously  destroyed  by  fire.  Since 
then,  the  State  has  rented  apartments  in  a  brick  block 
on  the  principal  business  street,  where  the  public 
archives  are  kept,  together  with  the  State  Library,  and 
where  the  Legislature  holds  its  biennial  sessions. 

Notwithstanding  this  lack,  the  town  is  not  without 
some  of  the  handsomest  buildings  in  the  State.  Reed's 
Opera  House,  the  Chemeketa  Hotel,  the  Bank  build- 
ing, the  new  Wallamet  University  building,  and  some 
of  the  stores,  are  quite  worthy  of  an  older  and  wealth- 
ier city.  The  private  residences,  too,  are  many  of 
them  spacious,  and  even  elegant.  Taking  it  altogether, 
Salem  is  probably  the  pleasantest  town  in  Oregon  ; 
and  from  its  central  location,  together  with  its  impor- 
tance as  the  capital,  can  never  be  less  than  the  second 
city  of  the  State.  It  has  now  connection  with  Port- 
land by  the  Oregon  Central  Railroad  ;  and  very  soon 
will  be,  by  the  West  Side  Railroad,  connected  with  the 
country  bordering  on  the  Columbia  River. 

The  Agricultural  Society  of  Oregon  have  their  Fair 
Grounds  at  Salem,  where  annually  are  congregated  the 
rural  population  from  every  part  of  the  State.  Those 
who  come  from  a  distance  are  provided  with  tents, 
beds,  and  cooking  utensils ;  the  fields  adjoining  the 
inclosed  grounds  swarming  with  these  families,  their 
tents,  wagons,  and  animals.  The  occasion  is  employed 
to  renew  old  acquaintances,  and  talk  over  the  politics 
and  agricultural  interests  of  the  country.  Each  year 
witnesses  some  improvement  in  stock  or  machinery  ; 
and  the  articles  on  exhibition  are  very  creditable,  for 
a  State  with  so  limited  a  population.  The  prizes 
offered  are  liberal,  when  the  resources  of  the  Society 
are  considered. 

The  manufactures  of  Salem  are:  one  woolen -mill, 


SALEM    AND    ITS   SURROUNDINGS.  171 

valued  at  $300,000,  turning  out  yearly  $200,000  worth 
of  blankets,  flannels,  tweeds,  cassimeres,  yarn,  and  knit 
goods;  two  flouring -mills,  both  making  an  excellent 
brand  of  flour;  one  oil -mill;  two  tanneries;  three 
lumber-mills  ;  four  sash  and  door  factories;  one  foun- 
dry and  machine-shop;  four  wagon  and  carriage-shops; 
two  cabinet- shops  ;  one  bag -factory;  three  printing- 
offices;  one  book  -  bindery  ;  two  gun -shops;  three 
breweries ;  three  saddle  and  harness  manufactories ; 
and  four  millinery  establishments.  There  is  one  bank- 
ing-house, numerous  dry -goods  and  grocery  stores, 
three  bookstores,  three  drug-stores,  and  two  hardware 
stores.  Not  that  every  branch  of  business  in  Salem  is 
comprised  in  this  list ;  but  this  is  a  general  summing 
up  of  the  industries  of  a  population  of  about  four  thou- 
sand people,  outside  the  professions  and  the  agricult- 
ural classes.  Probably  the  assessable  property  of  Salem 
amounts  to  two  millions  or  more. 

Salem  has  one  daily  and  weekly  newspaper,  the 
Unionist^  and  Statesman;  and  one  other  political  weekly, 
the  Sakm  Mercury.  The  Wallamet  Farmer,  an  agricult- 
ural journal,  is  also  a  weekly,  having  its  publishing 
office  in  Salem  ;  and  the  Oregon  Medical  and  Surgical 
Reporter,  a  monthly,  is  also  published  here.  The  edu- 
cational facilities  of  Salem  are  good.  The  Wallamet 
University,  with  a  Medical  Department,  takes  the  first 
rank.  The  old  Institute  building  having  become 
somewhat  dilapidated,  the  present  structure  was  erected 
in  1864.  It  is  built  of  brick,  in  the  form  of  a  Greek 
cross;  is  eighty -four  feet  in  length  by  forty  in  width, 
and  is  five  stories  high,  including  the  basement  and 
attic.  The  plan  of  the  interior  is  convenient  and  ele- 
gant. There  are  three  entrances,  and  three  separate 
staircases  leading  to  the  attic.      From  the  cupola  a 


172  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

splendid  view  of  the  country  is  obtained,  with  four 
snowy  peaks  in  the  distance.  The  university  is  in  a 
good  condition  financially,  and  ranks  among  the  ablest 
institutions  of  learning  on  the  jSTorthern  Coast. 

The  Catholics  have  a  seminary  in  a  flourishing  con- 
dition, and  there  are  fine  public  -  school  buildings  for 
the  accommodation  of  the  public  generally;  but  the 
free -school  system  is  not  yet  put  in  operation  in  any 
part  of  Oregon.  Salem  has  nine  churches,  comprising 
all  the  usual  denominations  ;  a  musical  society  ;  three 
lodges  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  one  of  Masons,  and  a  Good 
Templars  organization. 

The  State  Penitentiary  is  located  east  of  town  on  a 
tract  of  seventy-five  acres,  belonging  to  Government, 
where  also  the  Insane  Asylum  is  ultimately  to  be  built. 
None  of  the  State  buildings  yet  erected  are  of  a  per- 
manent character.  The  contracts  for  these  structures 
will  be  a  "bone  to  pick"  between  rival  contractors  at 
some  future  day,  and  will  give  Salem  a  chance  to 
make  something  out  of  them. 

The  value  of  property  has  considerably  increased 
since  the  opening  of  the  Oregon  and  California  Rail- 
road, and  must  continue  to  increase  for  an  indefinite 
period,  as  the  growth  of  Salem  is  assured.  The  grad- 
ual settlement  of  tlie  choice  farming  lands  by  which  it 
is  surrounded,  and  the  opening  up  of  the  mineral  de- 
posits known  to  exist  in  the  Cascade  Mountains  to 
the  east,  would  alone  give  a  sure,  if  gradual,  rise  to 
property  in  Salem.  Its  population  is  order -loving, 
social,  and  industrious  ;  and  its  climate  healthful.  In- 
termittents  prevail  to  some  extent  on  the  margin  of 
the  river,  as  in  all  countries,  especially  new  ones ;  but 
they  are  of  a  light  character,  and  easily  broken  up,  or 
what  is  better,  prevented. 


SALEM   AND   ITS   SURROUNDINGS.  173 

It  IS  a  fact,  more  or  less  well  established  by  experi- 
ence, that  the  sunflower  is  anti- miasmatic.  It  is  as- 
serted, on  very  good  authority,  that  if  a  hedge  of  this 
plant  be  interposed  between  the  dwelling  and  the  pre- 
vailing direction  of  the  wind,  or  if  the  dwelling  be 
surrounded  by  them,  that  intermittent  fevers  will  not 
attack  the  occupants.  As  the  seeds  are  useful  for  some 
purposes,  it  could  be  no  loss  to  any  one  residing  in 
fever-breeding  localities  to  try  the  effect  of  cultivating 
them. 

South  Salem,  a  pleasant  suburban  neighborhood, 
separated  from  the  city  proper  only  by  Mill  Creek,  is 
rapidly  becoming  an  important  addition  to  it.  Many 
of  the  pleasantest  homes  are  located  in  this  neighbor- 
hood, which,  from  being  rather  more  elevated  than  Sa- 
lem, is  in  demand  for  the  beauty  of  its  building  sites, 
and  the  extent  of  its  river  views. 

Driving  anywhere  about  Salem  is  delightful.  The 
roads  are  naturally  good,  except  in  the  rainy  season. 
In  summer  the  town -people  enjoy  excursions  to  the 
mountains,  for  trout-fishing,  strawberrying,  and  the  like 
amusements.  It  is  by  no  means  uncommon  for  parties 
to  camp  out  for  one  or  two  weeks,  either  in  the  mount- 
ains or  over  on  the  sea -coast.  The  summer  climate 
being  generally  rainless,  there  is  no  risk  in  this  no- 
madic sort  of  life  ;  and  people  find  themselves  the  bet- 
ter for  this  intimacy  with  Nature.  Another  summer 
custom  is  the  holding  of  "basket-meetings,"  for  a  week 
or  more,  by  several  of  the  churches,  who  have  grounds 
set  apart,  and  the  necessary  buildings  thereon,  for  these 
annual  gatherings. 

The  Salem  people  have  two  of  these  camp-grounds, 
adjoining  each  other,  over  the  river  in  Polk  County, 
on  the  banks  of  the  Rickreal,  near  its  junction  with 


174  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

the  Wallamet.  Here,  in  a  fine  grove  of  tirs,  we  have 
seen  the  order  and  devotion,  the  sociality  and  recrea- 
tion, of  a  basket-meeting.  Between  the  hours  of  serv- 
ice the  people  disperse  themselves  in  all  directions,  to 
lunch,  and  to  talk  over  church  affairs — perhaps  the 
prospect  of  a  crop ;  for  this  is  the  season  of  rest  for 
the  agricultural  population— rbetween  "  seed-time  and 
harvest." 

The  scene  is  very  picturesque.  White  tents,  and 
rough  board  cabins,  are  thickly  placed  among  the  trees. 
In  the  centre  of  the  grove  is  the  spreading  roof,  sup- 
ported on  rustic  pillars,  under  which  the  congregation 
gathers  at  stated  hours  for  religious  services,  and  where 
the  speaker's  desk  is  placed,  with  it  great  bouquets  of 
roses  and  sweet-scented  garden  flowers — contributions 
from  the  ladies  to  the  adornment  of  the  rude  pulpit. 
Here  and  there  a  covered  wagon  serves  as  a  temporary 
home ;  for  many  of  these  people  crossed  the  plains  years 
ago,  and  know  to  how  many  uses  a  covered  wagon  may 
be  put.  Young  people  are  flitting  about  from  tent  to 
tent — older  ones  are  receiving  company  at  their  own 
doors  ;  tables  are  spread  in  the  shade,  at  which  hungry 
people  do  justice  to  hasty  cookery  ;  a  hum  of  subdued 
voices  fills  the  air  with  a  pleasant  murmur,  which  ac- 
cords well  with  the  soft  sighing  of  the  trees,  the  stir 
of  insects  in  the  air,  and  the  flow  of  the  pebbly  stream 
close  by. 

That  " the  groves  were  God's  first  temples"  strikes 
us  forcibly  under  circumstances  like  these.  The  de- 
votional spirit  comes  more  easily  and  quickly,  and  with 
more  power,  in  immediate  contact  with  Nature,  than 
when  coaxed  and  stimulated  into  exercise  by  the  ap- 
pliances of  art.  In  the  age  when  architecture  was 
really  and  truly  an  art,  this  truth  was  seized  upon ; 


SALEM   AND   ITS   SURROUNDINGS.  175 

and  those  grand  cathedrals  which  still  remain  the  glory 
of  Europe,  in  their  pointed  roofs,  fretted  arches,  and 
long  colonnades ;  their  deep  shadows,  and  windows 
of  colored  glass,  staining  the  light  they  transmitted  to 
the  colors  of  Nature's  choicest  hues,  were  intended  to 
express  that  solemn  and  subtile  sense  of  beauty,  which, 
in  the  presence  of  great  Nature,  lifts  the  heart  above 
and  away  from  mean  or  trivial  considerations. 

The  Salemites  have  some  other  resorts  than  those 
already  mentioned,  in  different  soda- springs,  in  their 
own,  and  the  adjoining  county  of  Linn.  In  short,  if 
the  tourist  has  not  remained  in  the  heart  of  the  Wal- 
lamet  Valley  long  enough  to  find  out  for  himself  its  re- 
sources for  pleasure,  as  well  as  profit,  he  has  done 
himself  and  the  country  an  injustice.  Of  course  all 
the  resorts  mentioned  are  frequented  by  residents  of 
the  adjoining  counties  on  either  side,  and  belong  equally 
to  all  this  portion  of  the  State.  It  is,  indeed,  quite 
the  custom  for  Oregonians,  of  every  section,  to  make 
their  summer  excursions,  quite  as  much  as  those  city- 
bred  pleasure  -  seekers  who  people  Eastern  watering- 
places  every  season. 

About  twenty  miles  above  Salem  the  Wallamet  re- 
ceives the  waters  of  the  Santiam,  a  considerable  stream, 
having  its  rise  in  the  snows  of  Mount  Jefferson.  Leb- 
anon, on  the  south  fork  of  the  Santiam,  is  a  delight- 
ful spot,  in  the  midst  of  a  fine  farming  country.  A 
few  miles  above  Lebanon,  at  the  falls  of  the  Santiam, 
is  another  small  town,  with  flouring  and  lumber-mills. 
Both  of  these  places  are  the  centres  of  a  healthy  busi- 
ness, dependent  on  agriculture  and  manufactures. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

ALBANY,    AND   OTHER   RIVER   TOWNS. 

Albany,  on  the  east  side,  is  twenty-five  miles  south 
of  Salem,  in  a  tolerably  straight  line  ;  by  the  windings 
of  the  river  it  is  farther.  It  is  about  the  head  of  river 
navigation  in  the  low  water  of  late  summer.  Between 
Salem  and  Albany  are  several  small  places,  of  no  par- 
ticular importance,  chiefly  on  the  west  side  of  the  river. 
At  one  of  these — Buena  Vista — considerable  coarse 
earthenware  is  manufactured.  Monmouth,  near  the 
river,  is  the  seat  of  Monmouth  College,  under  the  con- 
trol of  the  Christian  denomination.  Warehouses  and 
shipping  points  are  frequent  along  this  portion  of  the 
river  ;  for  some  of  the  most  famous  grain-raising  coun- 
ties border  it.  The  Oregon  and  California  Railroad 
connects  this  town  with  those  already  mentioned,  and 
has  already  added  a  considerable  interest  to  business, 
and  value  to  real  estate. 

The  Calapooia  River  enters  the  Wallamet  at  Albany. 
This  stream  furnishes  fine  water-power  up  in  the  foot- 
hills, where  two  towns — Nortli  and  South  Browns- 
ville— are  located.  The  former  is  a  manufacturing 
place,  having  a  woolen-mill,  a  flouring-mill,  a  planing- 
mill,  and  a  tannery,  besides  machine-shops,  and  other 
similar  establishments. 

Albany  was  laid  out  as  a  town -site  in  1848  by  two 
brothers,  Thomas  and  Walter  Monteith.  All  that  has 
been  said  of  Salem,  as  a  well -located  town,  applies 


ALBANY,    AND   OTHER    RIVER   TOWNS.  177 

equally  to  Albany.  It  is  hardly  less  beautiful,  none 
the  less  industrious,  thriving,  or  intelligent ;  and  is  the 
third  town  in  importance  in  Oregon.  With  a  popula- 
tion of  twenty  hundred,  it  has  four  churches  ;  a  col- 
lege building;  the  best  court-house,  out  of  Portland, 
in  the  State  ;  a  fine  public-school  building ;  two  flour- 
ing-mills  ;  two  lumber-mills,  and  good,  substantial  brick 
stores  in  proportion.  Every  trade  and  industry  is  well 
represented  ;  and  the  character  of  its  people  is  not  be- 
low that  of  any  town  of  its  size  on  the  coast ;  while 
its  business  men  are  noted  for  their  enterprise  and  pub- 
lic spirit.  We  are  pleased  to  pay  this  tribute  to  Al- 
bany, where  we  met  some  very  congenial  people.  There 
is  no  place  in  the  interior  of  Oregon  where  the  stranger 
is  more  likely  to  be  pleased  with  his  surroundings  than 
here. 

There  are  also  many  pleasant  drives  and  resorts 
about  Albany,  and  a  fine  view  of  that  beautiful  group 
of  snow- peaks,  the  Three  Sisters.  Although  there  is 
much  level  prairie,  there  are  also  buttes  and  ridges  so 
disposed  about  the  valley  as  to  give  a  charming  variety 
to  an  otherwise  monotonous  landscape.  Opposite  Al- 
bany, on  the  west  side  of  the  river,  is  a  belt  of  heavily 
timbered  bottom-land,  which  is  subject  to  overflow, 
and  back  of  that  rise  the  rolling  hills  of  Benton  County, 
dotted  with  magnificent  spreading  oaks. 

Above  Albany  the  pine-tree  begins  to  appear,  mixed 
with  the  fir,  along  the  river -banks.  The  groves  of 
timber  are  more  scattering,  and  the  country  more  level 
and  open.  Except  the  ash,  maple,  alder,  and  willow 
of  the  river -bottoms,  there  is  little  forest;  but  the 
isolated  trees  of  pine,  fir,  and  oak  which  beautify  the 
plains,  are  of  the  handsomest  proportions. 

Corvallis,  about  a  dozen  miles  above  Albany,  on  the 


178  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

west  side  of  the  river,  is  about  the  same  age  with  it. 
Its  first  proprietor  was  Mr.  Avery,  who  still  resides 
there.  It  is  the  first  town  of  consequence  on  the  west 
side  of  the  Wallamet,  and  the  only  one  excepting  Eu- 
gene. The  situation  of  Corvallis  is  remarkably  hand- 
some, having  the  river  on  one  side  of  it,  and  the  Coast 
Range  sufficiently  near  it  on  the  other  to  give  the 
landscape  the  look  of  being  framed  in  a  semicircle  of 
hills. 

A  road  through  the  Coast  Range  directly  west  of 
Corvallis,  furnishes  this  place  communication  with 
Yaquina  Bay  on  the  coast,  thus  giving  it  an  independ- 
ent sea -port.  Besides  this  advantage  which  it  affords 
to  shippers,  the  bay  has  become  quite  a  famous  sum- 
mer resort,  through  the  facilities  furnished  by  this 
road.  The  climate  of  Corvallis  is  also  perceptibly 
affected  in  summer  by  the  sea-breezes  which  find  their 
way  into  the  valley  through  the  pass  in  the  mountains 
along  which  this  road  conducts  us.  St.  Mary's  Mount- 
ain is  a  peak  of  the  Coast  Range  in  full  view  from  Cor- 
vallis, and  another  summer  resort  for  pleasure-seekers. 
One  of  the  attractions  is  the  delicious  cream  to  be  ob- 
tained from  a  dairy  up  on  the  mountain — which,  with 
strawberries  or  huckleberries,  is  said  to  make  a  very 
fine  dessert  to  a  "basket"  dinner. 

Corvallis  narrowly  escaped  being  made  the  capital 
of  Oregon  Territory,  and  received  instead  thereof  the 
appropriation  for  a  State  University.  But  the  money 
was  expended,  and  the  onl}^  result  is  a  pile  of  ruins — 
another  example  of  how  the  Territory  used  the  appro- 
priations of  Congress.  The  State  is  a  much  better 
economist. 

Corvallis,  with  a  population  of  ten  or  twelve  hun- 
dred, supports  three  churches,  an  academy,  and  female 


ALBANY,    AND   OTHER  RIVER  TOWNS.  179 

seminary,  besides  common  schools,  and  a  college  within 
a  few  miles  of  it.  It  has  considerable  trade  ;  though, 
having  been  cut  off  from  river  navigation  fully  half 
the  year,  it  could  not  have  a  constant  trade  which  was 
not  purely  local.  As  it  is  situated  in  one  of  the  best 
agricultural  sections,  the  time  when  the  railroad 
reaches  it,  which  will  be  very  soon,  will  see  a  rapid 
change  in  that  respect.  The  CorvaUis  Gazette^  a  weekly 
newspaper,  is  a  well-conducted  journal. 

Two  or  three  miles  south  of  Corvallis,  on  the  east 
side  of  the  river,  is  a  new  town  called  Halsy,  an  out- 
growth of  the  Oregon  and  California  Railroad.  It  is 
receiving  a  considerable  number  of  settlers,  and  prom- 
ises to  be  a  place  of  some  importance  as  a  grain-depot. 

The  face  of  the  country  in  this  portion  of  the  Wal- 
lamet  Valley  is  extremely  picturesque  and  beautiful. 
The  narrowing  of  the  valley  toward  its  head  brings 
mountains,  plains,  and  groves  within  the  sweep  of 
unassisted  vision,  and  the  whole  resembles  a  grand 
picture.  We  have  not  here  the  heavy  forests  of  the 
Columbia  River  region,  nor  even  the  frequently  recur- 
ring fir -groves  of  the  Middle  Wallamet.  The  foot- 
hills of  the  mountains  approach  within  a  few  miles  on 
either  side,  but  those  nearest  the  valley  are  rounded, 
grassy  knolls,  over  which  are  scattered  groups  of  firs, 
pines,  or  oaks,  while  the  river -bottom  is  bordered 
with  tall  cottonwoods,  and  studded  rather  closely  with 
pines  of  a  lofty  height  and  noble  form. 

Two  tributaries  enter  the  Wallamet  between  Corval- 
lis and  Eugene — the  Muddy,  from  the  east,  and  Long 
Tom  from  the  south-west.  The  country  on  the  Long 
Tom  is  celebrated  for  its  fertility,  and  for  the  uncom- 
promising democracy  of  its  people.  The  school-master 
and  the  Black  Republican,  are  reported  to  be  alike  ob- 


180  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

jects  of  aversion  in  that  famous  district.  It  is  also 
claimed  for  Long  Tom,  that  it  originated  the  term 
"Webfoot,"  which  is  so  universally  applied  to  Ore- 
gonians  by  their  California  neighbors.  The  story  runs 
as  follows:  A  young  couple  from  Missouri  settled  upon 
a  land- claim  on  the  banks  of  this  river,  and  in  due 
course  of  time  a  son  and  heir  was  born  to  them.  A 
California  "commercial  traveler"  chancing  to  stop 
with  the  happy  parents  overnight,  made  some  joking 
remarks  upon  the  subject,  warning  them  not  to  let  the 
baby  get  drowned  in  the  rather  unusually  extensive 
mud -puddle  by  which  the  premises  were  disfigured, 
when  the  father  replied  that  they  had  looked  out  for 
that ;  and,  uncovering  the  baby's  feet,  astonished  the 
joker  by  showing  him  that  they  were  w^hed.  The 
sobriquet  of  Webfoot  having  thus  been  attached  to  Ore- 
gon-born babies,  has  continued  to  be  a  favorite  appel- 
lative ever  since. 

No  inland  town  could  have  a  prettier  location  than 
Eugene,  and  few  a  more  desirable  one  for  other  rea- 
sons. At  the  head  of  the  Wallamet  Valley,  it  com- 
bines many  advantages ;  Lane  County,  of  which  it  is 
the  county -seat,  extending  from  the  sea- coast  to  the 
Cascade  llange,  and  including  grain  and  stock  lands, 
timber  and  mineral  lands,  with  abundant  water-power. 
It  is  also  the  starting-point  of  the  Military  Road, 
crossing  the  Cascades  at  Diamond  Peak  Pass,  and 
traversing  Eastern  Oregon  near  its  southern  boundary, 
to  Owyhee,  in  Idaho.  It  is  presumable,  at  least,  that 
this  must  be  the  course  of  a  railroad  at  no  very  dis- 
tant day. 

Like  all  the  towns  in  the  Wallamet  Valley,  Eugene 
has  recognized  tlic  value  of  tlie  church  and  the  school- 
liouse  in  the  community.     With  a  population  of  about 


ALBANY,    AND   OTHER   RIVER   TOWNS  181 

nine  hundred,  it  has  five  churches,  an  academy,  and 
other  public  and  private  schools.  In  its  early  days, 
for  it  was  founded  more  than  twenty  years  ago,  an 
attempt  was  made  to  have  a  college  located  here.  The 
enterprise  proceeded  as  far  as  the  partial  erection  of  a 
handsome  stone  building,  when  it  was  arrested,  and  has 
so  remained  ever  since.  Before  the  completion  of  the 
railroad  the  trade  of  Eugene  could  not  be  very  great, 
owing  to  the  want  of  means  for  transporting  the 
products  of  the  country  to  any  other  market  than  its 
own.  Its  inhabitants,  however,  enjoyed  peace  and 
plenty  in  their  own  homes ;  and  perhaps  were  more 
intellectual  and  more  social  from  their  isolation.  The 
literary  professions  are  well  represented,  and  the 
trades  seem  to  thrive  as  well  as  in  more  bustling 
places.  The  office  of  the  Surveyor  General  of  the 
State  is  located  here. 

Three  miles  above  Eugene  is  the  new  town  of  Spring- 
field, already  a  thriving  little  place,  with  flouring  and 
saw -mills,  and  several  manufactories.  Following  up 
the  Middle  Fork  of  the  WaUamet,  leads  us  through  a 
valley,  heading  in  the  Cascade  Range,  to  the  south- 
east. This  valley,  together  with  several  smaller  lat- 
eral ones,  contains  a  considerable  amount  of  excellent 
land,  both  for  grain -growing  and  stock-raising.  For 
dairy  purposes,  much  of  it  is  excellent ;  also,  for  wool- 
growing.  Fine  water-power  may  be  obtained  in  nu- 
merous places,  owing  to  the  rapid  fall  of  the  streams 
coming  out  of  the  mountains.  It  is  up  this  valley 
that  the  Military  Road  leads  to  the  Diamond  Peak 
Pass. 

It  is  claimed  that  up  among  these  foot-hills  every 
variety  of  fruit  and  vegetables  can  be  more  success- 
fully cultivated  than  on  the  prairie  land  of  the  great 


182  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

valley.  Certainly  it  is  evident  that  the  resources  of 
this  part  of  the  country,  in  soil,  timber,  water,  and 
minerals,  are  unexcelled  by  any  portion  of  it  ;  and 
only  its  remoteness  has  hitherto  prevented  its  settle- 
ment. Already  the  lands  are "  beginning  to  be  taken 
up,  and  settlers'  cabins  to  appear  on  frequent  claims  on 
the  Middle  Fork  of  the  Wallamet.  McKenzie,  or 
North  Fork,  is  a  large  stream,  with  a  similar  country 
and  advantages  for  locating.  The  South  Fork  is 
smaller,  with  the  same  general  character. 

A  glance  at  the  map  of  Oregon  will  show  any  one 
the  horse  -  shoe  shape  of  the  head  of  the  Wallamet 
Valley,  with  the  Coast  Range  on  the  west,  the  Cas- 
cades on  the  east,  and  the  Calapooias  on  the  south. 

This  amphitheatre  of  mountains,  running  down  into 
the  valley  in  long  slopes  and  ridges,  furnishes  it  with 
superior  facilities  for  a  great  variety  of  manufactures 
which  depend  on  wood,  water,  stone,  and  such  like 
materials.  When  these  are  to  be  found,  together  with 
a  variety  of  good  soils,  adapted  to  all  branches  of 
farming,  there  can  be  no  doubt  of  the  future  of  such  a 
country.  From  every  side,  the  riches  of  these  hills 
will  glide  down  into  the  lap  of  that  city  which  is  situ- 
ated in  their  midst. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

THE    WALLAMET    TRAIRIES. 

The  prairies  of  the  Wallamet  Valley  are  not  an  un- 
interrupted level,  like  those  of  Illinois.  In  some  parts 
they  resemble  the  "oak  openings"  of  Michigan  ;  again 
they  are  quite  extensive  plains,  but  nowhere  out  of 
sight  of  large  bodies  of  timber,  either  on  the  mount- 
ains or  along  the  Wallamet,  and  its  numerous  affluents. 
Ranges  of  hills  and  isolated  buttes  occur  frequently 
enough  to  save  the  landscape  from  monotony,  and  to 
furnish  variety  in  soil  and  location. 

Time  was  when  all  this  valley  waved  in  early  sum- 
mer with  luxuriant  native  grasses,  red  and  white  clover, 
and  beautiful  wild  flowers.  When  the  first  herds  of 
California  cattle,  purchased  in  that  country,  and  driven 
over  the  mountains  of  Southern  Oregon,  with  great  la- 
bor, and  danger  from  the  hostility  of  the  Indians,  to 
supply  the  Mission  and  the  earliest  settlers,  they  might 
wallow  through  grass  breast-high  on  the  prairies,  and 
higher  than  their  heads  in  the  creek-bottoms.  These 
herds  increased  rapidly;  and  the  country  being  sparsely 
settled,  they  were  allowed  to  roam  at  will  over  it. 

Stock-raising  was  an  easy  and  lucrative  business  in 
Oregon  at  an  early  day  :  in  the  first  place,  because  cat- 
tle were  scarce  among  the  settlers ;  and  next,  because 
after  they  had  become  more  numerous,  they  came  sud- 
denly into  demand  as  food  for  the  freshly  imported 
mining  population  with  which  the  gold  discovery  flooded 


184  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

the  southern  portion  of  the  State.  The  stock -owner 
put  his  brand  on  his  herd,  and  turned  them  out  to 
"  summer  and  winter"  themselves  on  the  abundance  of 
the  virgin  prairies.  In  course  of  time  this  indiscrimi- 
nate pasturing  injured  the  grasses,  and' reduced  them 
to  a  shorter  growth  ;  though  it  is  said  that  when  the 
land  is  permitted  to  lie  idle  under  fence  they  recover 
their  old  luxuriance.  We  have  seen  a  species  of  wild 
timothy  growing  four  or  five  feet  high  on  the  Tualatin 
Plains,  in  Washington  County. 

The  lives  of  the  early  settlers  of  Oregon,  though 
not  luxurious,  were  easy  and  care -free.  The  genial 
climate  and  the  kindly  soil  rendered  constant  or  exces- 
sive labor  unnecessary.  If  they  were  stock -raisers, 
comparative  wealth  was  easily  attained,  when  one  hun- 
dred cows  were  worth  ten  thousand  dollars.  To  mount 
his  horse,  and  ride  about  to  look  after  his  cattle,  was 
a  pastime  for  the  stock-raiser  ;  good  riding,  good  shoot- 
ing, and  knowing  how  to  throw  the  lasso,  popular 
accomplishments.  Clad  in  his  buckskin  suit,  and 
booted  and  spurred  in  true  vaquero  style,  it  was  his 
pleasure  to  scour  the  prairies  day  after  day  on  any  er- 
rand whatever.  And  well  it  might  bo — unless  some 
of  his  wild  California  stock  "got  after  him,"  when  a 
sharp  race  was  sure  to  ensue,  which  not  unfrcquently 
ended  in  the  herdsman  being  "treed." 

This  free-and-easy  life,  in  a  country  so  beautiful,  had 
many  charms  which  are  easily  understood.  Nor  is  the 
Oregon  of  to-day  so  densely  populated  as  to  be  without 
much  of  the  same  romantic  freedom.  Although  most 
of  the  open  or  prairie  land  in  Western  Oregon  is  owned 
by  donation  claimants,  locators,  and  others,  compara- 
tively little  of  it  is  cultivated.  The  uncultivated 
prairie  lauds,  together  with  the  half- wooded  bench 


THE  WALLAMET   PRAIRIES.  185 

lands  of  the  foot-liills,  make  a  large  extent  of  country 
fjtill  in  its  primeval  condition  as  to  cultivation.  One 
may  ride,  barring  occasional  fences,  almost  at  his  pleas- 
ure from  one  end  of  the  Wallamet  Valley  to  the  other  ; 
though  for  greater  convenience  he  would  probably  keep 
to  the  traveled  road.  A  very  pleasant  ride  it  would 
be,  too,  if  he  were  fond  of  equestrian  exercise,  and  by 
far  the  best  method  of  obtaining  correct  notions  of 
the  resources  of  the  valley. 

It  seems  at  first  a  remarkable  condition  of  things,  that 
a  population  of  82,000  people  should  have  appropri- 
ated the  largest  portion  of  the  agricultural  lands  of 
Western  Oregon — a  country  275  miles  by  forty  or  fifty 
in  extent.  But  a  large  proportion  of  the  open  prairie 
lands  were  taken  up  under  the  Donation  Law,  which 
gave  320  acres  to  a  married  man,  320  more  to  his  wife, 
and  the  same  amount  to  every  white  male  citizen,  widow, 
or  head  of  a  family,  who  would  occupy  the  same  accord- 
ing to  the  requirements  of  the  Act.  It  is  reported  of 
the  Oregonians  that  while  the  Act  was  in  force,  very 
early  marriages  were  the  fashion  ;  and  even  that  the 
courting  which  preceded  it  was  sometimes  accom- 
plished at  the  door  of  a  farmer's  house,  while  the 
would-be  husband  sat  on  his  "cayuse,"  and  the  not 
unwilling  bride  of  thirteen  or  fourteen  summers  stood 
on  the  door-step — the  object  of  both  being  to  secure 
a  partner  in  a  mile  square  of  land.  Large  ftxmilies 
who  "took  up"  in  this  way  adjoining  "miles"  were 
able  to  call  whole  townships  their  own 

So  much  land,  though  gladly  accepted  from  Govern- 
ment as  compensation  for  the  toils,  privations,  and 
dangers  of  first  settling  the  country,  has  proved  any 
thing  but  a  blessing  to  the  owners,  by  preventing  close 
settlement,  and  the  efficient  working  of  a  free -school 

13 


186  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

system  in  the  farming  districts.  Many  a  farmer  has 
sold  his  land,  where  it  was  somewhat  remote  from  the 
town,  for  a  merely  nominal  price,  and  gone  to  reside 
where  he  could  senij  his  children  to  school.  It  was 
impossible,  as  it  was  useless,  to  cultivate  a  mile  square 
of  land,  where  neither  rail -car  nor  steamboat  ever 
came  to  take  away  its  produce.  And  as  for  stock- 
raising  and  wool -growing,  it  was  not  necessary  to  own 
large  bodies  of  land,  since  there  was  vacant  land 
enough,  of  the  best  kind  for  that  purpose,  in  the  foot- 
hills on  either  side  of  the  valley.  If  every  farmer 
burdened  with  a  mile  square  of  Lind  had  been  able  to 
give  away  half  or  two -thirds  of  it  to  good,  intelligent 
farmers,  who  would  immigrate  to  take  possession  of 
and  improve  it,  the  mere  fact  of  their  neighborhood 
to  himself,  and  their  assistance  in  all  kinds  of  enter- 
prises, would  so  enhance  the  value  of  his  remaining 
half  or  one-third  as  to  make  it  equal,  in  value,  to  the 
whole,  unimproved  and  isolated. 

Doubtless  this  view  of  the  subject  will  present  itself 
to  the  land-holders  of  Western  Oregon,  when  the  lands 
of  the  Railroad  Companies  begin  to  be  sold ;  and 
although  they  may  not  wish  to  give  them  away,  ex- 
cept where  they  have  subscribed  for  the  building  of 
roads,  they  will  be  desirous  of  putting  their  surplus 
land  into  market  at  very  reasonable  rates. 

We  will  suppose  that  we  had  set  out  to  take  a  ride 
through  the  Wallamet  Valley.  Starting  at  the  northern 
end,  on  the  west  side,  we  should  take  a  look  at  the  so- 
called  Tualatin  Plains  of  Washington  County.  Imme- 
diately upon  entering  them  from  the  heavily  timbered 
Columbia  or  Wallamet  highlands,  we  are  struck  with 
the  beautiful  natural  arrangement  of  the  plains  and 
groves.     Small  prairies,  from  one  to  six  miles  in  diam- 


THE   WALLAMET   PRAIRIES.  187 

eter,  are  separated  by  belts  or  groups  of  fir  and  oak 
intermingled.  Growing  in  more  open  spaces  than  the 
forest  affords,  and  in  a  soil  of  great  richness,  these 
trees  have  attained  perfection  in  size  and  form.  Never 
have  we  beheld  more  truly  "Arcadian"  groves.  It 
strikes  us  as  a  sort  of  profanation  that  the  farmer  at 
whose  house  we  stop,  has  allowed  one  of  these  grand 
forest  cathedrals  to  be  used  as  a  shelter  for  his  stock, 
and  so  to  become  defiled.  Indubitably  this  is  not  a 
utilitarian,  nor  even  a  humanitarian  view ;  and  the  far- 
mer showed  care  for  his  cattle,  where  we  should  have 
shown  care  for  the  trees.  Yet,  were  not  sheds  good 
enough  for  creatures  that  are  born  and  die  in  half  a 
dozen  years?  and  should  they  be  allowed  to  bring  to 
grief  these  giants  of  centuries  old? 

This  county  is  one  of  the  oldest  -  settled  portions  of 
the  State,  as  the  farming  improvements  show.  A  large 
surplus  of  grain  is  raised  annually,  which  is  wagoned 
to  Portland,  or  Springville,  and  there  shipped  to  Cali- 
fornia, the  Sandwich  Islands,  or  some  port  on  the 
South  American  coast.  The  West  Side  Railroad  will 
soon  put  an  end  to  the  wagoning  of  grain,  and  will  re- 
vive the  cultivation  of  fruit,  which  has  been  discon- 
tinued on  account  of  the  cost  and  loss  of  transporting 
it  to  a  market. 

One  of  the  pests  of  Oregon  farming  is  a  large,  coarse 
fern — compound  or  branching  (Pteris  aquilinaj — which 
is  common  to  the  forests,  and  which  encroaches  on  the 
improved  lands  contiguous  to  them.  It  is  very  diffi- 
cult to  eradicate,  the  roots  penetrating  to  a  great  depth, 
and  being  very  tough  and  strong.  Wherever  it  is 
found,  however,  the  soil  is  sure  to  be  good,  and  more 
especially  adapted  to  fruit  than  the  exempt  prairie. 
Fern  troubles  the  farmer  on  the  Tualatin  Plains,  in 


188  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

those  fields  which  border  on  his  timbered  land  ;  but 
thorough  plowing  and  harrowing,  or  mowing  when  it  is 
full  of  sap,  will  finally  kill  it. 

There  is  no  lack  of  excellent  water  in  this  county. 
Streams  and  springs  abound  ;  but  wells  are  in  general 
use  for  domestic  purposes,  the  water  being  soft,  pure, 
and  cold,  which  is  obtained  by  digging.  The  Tualatin 
River  is  navigated  by  a  small  steamer  nearly  to  Hills- 
boro,  the  county-seat.  Other  streams  in  the  foot-hills 
furnish  abundant  water-power  and  mill -sites,  which 
are,  in  many  cases,  already  occupied  ;  and  yet  a  fresh 
influx  of  population  would  create  a  demand  above  the 
present  supply.  So  nicely  is  supply  and  demand  ad- 
justed in  the  farming  districts,  that  there  can  be  no 
rise  and  fall  of  the  markets  from  excess  or  diminution 
of  current  manufactures.  This  leaves  openings  for  im- 
migrants to  begin  business,  to  about  the  same  extent 
as  if  the  country  were  entirely  new ;  while  the  tem- 
porary assistance  afforded  by  the  older  establishments 
to  new  settlers  greatly  lessens  the  hardships  of  start- 
ing anew. 

The  price  of  these  ''broad  acres"  m  the  Tualatin 
Plains,  whose  smoothness  attracts  us,  is  fully  as  great 
as  any  land  in  Oregon — being  held  at  from  ten  to 
twenty-five  for  improved,  and  from  three  to  five  dollars 
for  unimproved.  In  giving  the  prices  of  land,  allowance 
for  the  rise  consequent  on  railroad  enterprises  will 
have  to  be  made  by  the  reader  ;  as  some  parcels,  lying 
along  the  lines  of  the  roads,  or  near  railroad  towns,  will 
increase  considerably  in  value  during  the  current  year. 
The  railroad  lands  will  be  mostly  taken  in  the  foot- 
hills, where  there  is  a  mixture  of  valley  and  hill  land 
—  small  prairie  spots,  and  larger  tracts  of  timber. 
They  will  be  (ixcellent  in  quality  ;  of  greater  variety 


THE   WALLAMET   PRAIRIES.  189 

than  the  prairie,  and  better  adapted  to  fruit-growing 
or  the  pasturage  of  stock. 

Washington  County  has  Columbia  County,  to  the 
north,  between  it  and  the  Columbia  River ;  the  Coast 
Mountains,  to  the  west,  between  it  and  the  sea ;  and  a 
high  ridge  dividing  it  from  Multnomah  County  and  the 
Wallamet  River.  South  of  it,  and  separated  from  it 
by  the  Chehalem  Mountains,  lies  the  famous  County 
of  Yamhill.  There  are  probably  350,000  acres  in 
Washington  County,  of  which  about  one  -  sixteenth  is 
under  cultivation,  and  five  -  sixteenths  timber. 

Ilillsboro,  the  county -seat,  is  a  small  and  quiet 
town  on  a  branch  of  the  Tualatin  River;  not  notable, 
nor  particularly  handsome  in  its  location.  Forest 
Grove,  six  miles  south  -  west  of  Hillsboro,  is,  on 
the  contrary,  beautifully  located,  near  the  base  of  a 
mountain  spur,  and  is  a  thriving  place,  with  an  aca- 
demic air.  Forest  Grove  is  the  seat  of  the  Pacific 
University — ^a  college  under  the  patronage  of  the 
Congregational  Church.  The  present  buildings,  three 
in  number,  are  of  wood,  sufficiently  commodious  to 
accommodate  the  present  wants  of  the  country.  The 
Professorships  are  all  filled  with  men  of  ability,  and  the 
University  Library  is  a  valuable  one.  This  college  first 
conferred  the  degree  of  A.B.,  in  1862,  upon  Mr.  Harvey 
Scott,  the  present  chief  editor  of  the  Oregonian  news- 
paper, who  has  kindly  furnished  us  the  following 
notes  on  the  university:  "The  project  of  establishing 
an  institution  of  learning  at  Forest  Grove  can  scarcely 
be  said  to  have  had  its  origin  as  a  missionary  en- 
terprise, as  was  notably  the  case  with  the  educational 
work  at  Salem,  under  direction  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  which  developed  into  Wallamet 
University.     Nevertheless,  men  who  came  out  to  Ore- 


190  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

gon  as  missionaries,  as  early  as  the  year  1840,  were 
the  men  who  devoted  themselves  to  the  work  of  build- 
ing up  the  institution  at  Forest  Grove.  Its  founder  and 
most  generous  patron  was  Rev.  Harvey  Clark.  He 
was  not  a  man  of  wealth,  but  he  was  a  man  of  indus- 
try, and  a  man  who  had  thorough  ideas  of  educational 
work.  By  donations  of  land  and  by  vigorous  effort 
among  the  people,  he  succeeded  in  founding  an  acad- 
emy, which  became  quite  prosperous.  This  continued 
in  operation  for  some  years,  and  attracted  much  notice 
as  a  useful  school.  In  the  year  1851,  Rev.  S.  H. 
Marsh,  then  a  young  man  from  Vermont,  came  out  to 
Oregon  to  engage  in  educational  work.  He  went  to 
Forest  Grove,  and  by  his  efforts  a  new  era  in  the  insti- 
tution was  commenced.  He  devoted  himself  assidu- 
ously to  his  undertaking;  the  name  of  "Pacific  Uni- 
versity" was  given  to  the  institution,  and  it  began  to 
make  advancement.  The  academy  was  continued. 
College  labor  devolved  almost  wholly  for  the  first  few 
years  on  Professor  Marsh,  but  he  was  enthusiastic  and 
untiring.  Subsequently,  Rev.  Horace  Lyman,  who  had 
come  out  to  Oregon  about  the  year  1850,  became  con- 
nected with  the  university  as  Professor  of  Mathematics, 
which  position  he  still  holds.  In  1859,  Mr.  Marsh 
went  to  the  Eastern  States,  and  succeeded  in  raising  a 
large  endowment  for  the  institution.  On  his  return, 
its  prospects  were  quite  promising,  and  another  Pro- 
fessor was  added  to  the  Faculty.  Again,  in  1868,  Mr. 
Marsh  went  East,  and  succeeded  in  increasing  the  en- 
dowment. At  this  time,  Rev.  Geo.  II.  Collier  became 
connected  with  the  institution  as  Professor  of  Natural 
Science.  Three  Professors,  besides  the  President,  are 
now  engaged  in  the  university,  and  the  endowment  is 
ample  for  their  support.     The  religious  influences  are 


THE   WALLAMET   PRAIRIES.  191 

Congregational,  but  the  institution  is  not  a  denomi- 
national one.  It  stands  on  an  independent  basis,  em- 
bodying clear  and  pronounced  educational  ideas  of  its 
own.  It  is  attaining  a  growth  as  one  of  the  distinctive 
institutions  of  Oregon,  and  its  prosperity  seems  as- 
sured." In  connection  with  the  university  is  an  acad- 
emy for  young  ladies,  some  of  the  students  of  which 
also  take  the  college  course. 

At  Forest  Grove,  reside  some  of  the  earliest  settlers 
of  the  valley — persons  who  have  seen  their  children, 
born  in  Oregon,  grow  up  to  manhood's  estate,  and  have 
sent  them  back  to  'Hhe  States"  to  learn  something  of 
an  older  civilization  than  that  of  the  mountains  and 
plains  of  Washington  County.  There  is  always  a 
great  charm  in  hearing  the  annals  of  a  State  from  the 
lips  of  its  founders.  Many  walking  cyclopedias  of 
Oregon  history  belong  to  the  population  of  the  Tuala- 
tin Plains,  and  to  their  influence  is  due  much  of  the 
good  order  and  good  morals  of  the  community. 

Traveling  south  from  Forest  Grove,  we  soon  cross 
the  northern  boundary  of,  and  find  ourselves  in,  the 
beautiful  County  of  Yamhill.  Comparisons  between 
counties  in  this  portion  of  the  State,  would  truly  be 
invidious.  Their  comparative  merits  must  be  very 
nearly  the  same  ;  yet  this  is,  if  possible,  a  more  beauti- 
ful section  than  Washington  County.  Yamhill  is,  also, 
one  of  the  first -settled  and  favorite  sections  of  the 
valley,  with  perhaps  a  little  larger  population,  and  a 
little  more  cultivated  land,  than  Washington  County. 
It  contains  eight  towns,  none  of  them  of  much  size. 
Lafayette,  the  county -seat,  is  situated  on  the  pretty 
Yamhill  River,  about  eight  miles  from  its  junction 
with  the  Wallamet,  at  the  Yamhill  rapids  or  falls,  on 
the  north  side.     A  short  distance  below,  and  on  the 


192  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

opposite  side,  is  Dayton,  the  grain-depot  of  the  county ; 
and  about  the  same  distance  above  is  McMinnville. 
These  are  the  three  principal  towns.  McMinnville  is  a 
handsomely  located  place,  and  will  be  a  railroad  point. 
It  is  the  seat  of  a  flourishing  academy,  as  well  as  the 
centre  of  the  agricultural  interests  of  the  county.  The 
West  Side,  a  paper  devoted  to  the  interests  of  the 
county,  is  published  here. 

The  Yamhill  River  is  formed  by  two  streams,  both 
rising  in  the  Coast  Range,  and  uniting  about  ten  miles 
above  its  mouth.  The  Salmon  River  rises  in  the  same 
pass  of  the  Coast  Range  through  which  flow  the  head- 
waters of  the  South  Yamhill,  but  runs  in  the  opposite 
direction,  and  empties  into  the  sea.  The  gorge  of 
these  streams  furnishes  an  opening  for  the  sea-breeze 
to  cool  the  temperature  of  summer,  or  moderate  that 
of  winter.  It  is  also  a  roadway  for  horses  and  car- 
riages, by  which  the  summer  travel  reaches  the  sea- 
coast.  The  sea -beach  at  the  mouth  of  the  Salmon 
River,  is  a  favorite  resort  for  the  people  of  the  central 
portion  of  the  Wallamet  Valley.  To  come  here  in 
July,  camp  out  for  two  or  three  weeks,  fish,  ride,  hunt, 
and  eat  "rock -oysters"  and  blackberries,  is  thought 
to  be  both  a  sanitary  and  a  pleasurable  manner  of 
taking  the  summer's  recreation. 

The  ''rock -oyster"  of  Salmon  River  is  so  called  be- 
cause it  is  found  embedded  in  sandstone -rock,  and 
has  to  be  released  from  its  captivity  by  hard  blows 
with  a  hammer.  When  it  was  so  encased  is  not  very 
well  known,  and  the  subject  is  one  of  no  little  interest. 
The  quality  of  the  testacean  does  not  seem  impaired 
by  confinement ;  on  the  contrary,  it  is  said  to  be  re- 
markably good.  The  oyster,  when  extricated  from  the 
rock,  is  pear-shaped,  with  the  impression  of  a  seal- 


THE   WALLAMET    PRAIRIES.  193 

loped  shell  on  the  broad  base  of  the  shell  which  in- 
closes it,  this  being  rather  soft  and  tender.  At  the 
small  end,  or  where  the  stem  of  a  pear  would  be 
placed,  is  a  foot,  or  feeler,  projecting,  not  only  out  of 
the  shell,  but  also  reaching  out  through  an  air-hole  in 
the  stone,  and  probably  used  to  secure  food.  These 
oysters  are  found  at  several  points  along  the  coast,  but 
never  above  the  reach  of  tide -water. 


CHAPTER    XYII. 

COUNTIES   COMPARED. 

The  agricultural  capacity  of  every  part  of  Oregon  is 
so  much  greater  than  its  present  productiveness,  that, 
to  state  the  latter,  would  only  be  to  disparage  the  for- 
mer. It  has  been  estimated  that  Yamhill  County 
might  produce  6,000,000  bushels  of  wheat,  annually  ; 
whereas,  it  actually  does  produce  perhaps  one -ninth 
of  that  amount.  But  the  time  has  not  yet  quite  ar- 
rived when  both  the  motive  and  the  ability  exist  for 
Oregon  farmers  to  do  their  best. 

Yamhill  County  has  produced  some  of  the  best 
stock  ever  exported  from  Oregon  —  the  market  for  it 
generally  being  San  Francisco.  A  good  deal  of  stock 
is  annually  driven  to  the  Sound  in  Washington  Terri- 
tory, where  it  either  finds  a  market,  or  is  exported  by 
water  to  Vancouver's  Island.  It  used  to  be  that  cattle 
and  sheep  were  raised  in  the  Wallamet  Valley  for  the 
supply  of  the  mining  districts  in  Eastern  Oregon  and 
Idaho,  and  were  shipped  up  the  Columbia  River  to 
the  Dalles,  and  thence  driven  to  their  destinations. 
However,  since  the  settlement  of  the  valleys  of  Eastern 
Oregon  and  Idaho,  and  the  fertile  Territory  of  Mon- 
tana, they  have  been  able,  with  the  help  of  Utah,  to 
furnish  beef  and  mutton  to  the  miners.  Western  Ore- 
gon still  finds  a  market  east  of  the  mountains,  but  not 
to  so  great  an  extent  as  formerly. 

Yamhill  is  so  peculiar  a  name,  that,  to  most  persons. 


COUNTIES   COMPARED.  195 

it  suggests  the  probability  of  its  being  a  yam -growing 
country.  The  original  name,  let  it  here  be  stated,  was 
Che -am -ill — the  Indian  term  for  bald  hills — and  was 
applied  first  to  the  river  at  the  falls,  just  above  which 
was  the  ford,  because  these  hills  served  as  a  landmark 
by  which  they  easily  found  the  ford.  The  name,  cor- 
rupted to  Yamhill,  was  bestowed  upon  one  of  the 
counties  established  under  the  Provisional  Govern- 
ment; and  though  not  particularly  euphonious,  is  dis- 
tinctive, and  in  Oregon  annals  notable. 

Crossing  the  beautiful  Che -am -ill  hills,  we  have  a 
charming  view  of  the  country  on  every  side,  and  see 
again  the  familiar  peaks  of  Mounts  Hood,  St.  Helen, 
Adams,  and  Jefferson.  We  take  leave  here  of  the 
level  plains  of  Washington  and  Yamhill  counties,  and 
find  ourselves  among  the  beautiful,  fertile,  rolling  hills 
and  alluvial  valleys  of  Polk  County.  This  county  is 
about  twice  the  extent  of  Yamhill,  with  not  far  from 
the  same  amount  of  cultivated  land,  and  a  few  hundreds 
less  population.  There  are  no  large  towns  in  Polk 
County,  the  people  being  almost  exclusively  agricult- 
ural. The  county -seat,  Dallas,  is  a  small  place  situ- 
ated on  the  Rickreal  (corruption  of  La  Creole)  River, 
nearly  opposite  to  the  State  capital. 

In  riding  over  this  lovely  section  of  the  Wallamet 
Valley,  the  freshly  imported  Eastern  farmer  must  be 
struck  with  the  general  air  of  neglect  and  improvi- 
dence. He  can  not  but  look  with  wonder  and  regret  at 
the  shabby  farm-houses,  the  unpruned  orchards,  and 
dead-and-alive  aspect  which  pervades  the  country. 
Not  understanding,  perhaps,  that  which  is  explainable, 
and  more  or  less  excusable,  in  this  "  shiftlessness,"  he 
is  led  to  doubt  the  advantages  of  the  country  for  farm- 
ing.   But  to  do  that,  is  to  err;  the  real  explanation  lies 


196  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

in  a  knowledge  of  the  early  history  of  the  coun- 
try. In  the  first  place,  the  farming  community  of  the 
country  was  derived  originally  from  the  border  States, 
as  they  were  thirty  years  ago.  They  had  never  been 
good  farmers  in  the  States  of  Missouri,  Illinois,  or  Ken- 
tucky. Upon  immigrating  to  Oregon  they  received  a 
large  body  of  land — too  large  to  cultivate  properly — 
with  no  adequate  market  for  its  productions,  if  they 
could  or  would  work  it.  They  consequently  fell  into 
the  habit  of  raising  a  little  grain  indifferently  well,  of 
raising. stock  in  the  same  manner,  without  caring  to 
improve  it  materially  ;  of  living  on  what  they  could 
buy  with  the  money  obtained  for  what  they  had  to 
sell — instead  of  producing  butter,  cheese,  choice  fruit, 
soap,  candles,  and  a  hundred  things  which  the  careful 
and  thrifty  farmer  supplies  himself  with.  Of  course, 
this  style  of  farming  never  improves  itself,  but  con- 
stantly grows  worse  as  the  years  accumulate.  The 
buildings,  fences,  fields,  and  farming  implements  grow 
constantly  more  and  more  dilapidated,  while  their 
owners  follow  suit. 

Some  of  the  most  beautiful  portions  of  "Western 
Oregon  are  under  this  curse  of  bad  stewardship.  We 
have  occasion  to  wonder,  when  the  annual  returns  are 
made  of  so  many  bushels  of  grain  raised,  and  so  many 
boxes  of  fruit  shipped,  and  so  many  head  of  fat  cattle 
exported,  that  they  are  so  many.  It  is  because  the 
country  is  very  hard  to  spoil,  that  it  suffers  so  little 
by  mismanagement.  Not  that  Polk  County,  which 
originated  reflections  of  this  sort,  is  the  only,  or  the 
chief,  offender.  There  are  just  as  bad  farmers  to  the 
north  of  it,  and  to  the  south  ;  yet,  that  there  must  be 
some  tolerably  good  ones,  the  reports  of  the  State 
Agricultural  Society  prove  beyond  cavil. 


COUNTIES   COMPARED.  197 

Polk  County  has  every  thing  to  make  it  rich  and 
prosperous.  All  of  its  prairie  and  level  land,  and 
much  of  its  upland,  produces  large  crops  of  wheat, 
barley,  and  oats.  Perhaps  four -fifths  of  the  whole 
county  might  be  turned  to  grain -raising.  It  is  an  ex- 
cellent fruit-growing  region,  producing  apples,  pears, 
plums,  cherries,  quinces,  and  small  fruits  in  perfec- 
tion. Every  garden  vegetable  produced  on  this  soil  is 
excellent.  The  grain  that  docs  not  do  well  as  a  crop, 
is  Indian  corn  ;  the  fruits  that  fail  as  a  crop  are  peaches, 
grapes,  apricots,  and  the  like  tender  varieties.  These 
may  be  raised  in  certain  localities,  but  are  not  sure 
every  year,  like  the  first -mentioned  kinds.  Eastern 
Oregon,  which  is  not  exposed  to  the  sea- wind  and 
fogs  that  give  to  the  Wallamet  Valley  its  cool  nights 
and  copious  moisture,  must  furnish  Western  Oregon 
with  Indian  corn  and  peaches. 

From  the  rolling  surface  of  this  county,  it  is  evident 
that  good  water  must  be  abundant,  and  mill  privileges 
easily  obtained.  The  mountains  furnish  plenty  of 
timber  for  lumbering  purposes ;  the  valleys  furnish 
cabinet  -  woods  ;  and  the  long,  sloping  hill -sides  are 
dotted  with  handsome  groves  of  oak.  The  mineral 
resources  of  the  county  are  as  yet  undeveloped,  but 
promise  to  be  valuable  when  they  are  opened  up.  Of 
mills,  there  are  nine  which  make  lumber,  and  four 
which  manufacture  flour,  besides  one  woolen  -  mill. 
Schools  in  the  different  districts,  and  academies  in 
three  of  the  towns — Dallas,  Bethel,  and  Monmouth 
(the  latter  a  college)  —  evidence  the  prevailing  desire 
of  the  people  for  education. 

Next  south  of  Polk,  on  the  west  side  of  the  Wal- 
lamet River,  is  Benton  County,  containing  nearly  a  mill- 
ion acres  of  land,  extending  from  the  river  across  the 


198  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

Coast  Mountains  to  the  sea.  The  eastern  portion  of 
it,  along  the  Wallamet,  is  open  prairie ;  while  the 
western  is  first  rolling,  then  mountainous.  All  that 
has  been  said  of  the  other  grain  -  raising  sections  ap- 
plies equally  to  a  considerable  portion  of  Benton 
County  ;  although  this  county  is  more  celebrated  for 
fine  stock  than  for  any  other  product.  Wool -growing 
is  one  of  the  special  interests  of  Benton,  for  which  its 
grassy  hills  particularly  adapt  it — as  also  for  the  dairy 
business. 

In  the  future  development  of  the  country,  Benton 
County  should  rank  high  as  a  manufacturing  district ; 
for,  besides  the  woolen  factories  it  is  capable  of  sup- 
porting, the  lumber-mills  it  can  supply  from  its  mount- 
ain forests,  and  the  flouring -mills  its  grain -fields  can 
keep  running,  it  has  extensive  beds  of  coal  near  the 
coast  in  localities  where  various  other  manufactures 
can  be  carried  on,  convenient  to  shipping  points. 

Perhaps  the  coast  side  of  the  county  may  sometime 
be  reckoned  most  valuable  for  these  reasons ;  and  on 
account  of  the  cod,  salmon,  and  oyster  fisheries.  A 
wagon -road  from  Corv^allis,  the  county -seat,  to  Ya- 
quina  Bay,  gives  this  county  an  advantage  over  others 
that  are  quite  cut  off  from  the  sea-coast  by  the  inacces- 
sibility of  the  mountains.  The  best  dairy  -  lands  in 
Western  Oregon  are  those  creek  -  bottoms  and  tide- 
lands  along  the  coast,  where  the  grass  is  perpetually 
green  and  of  excellent  quality.  Yaquina  Creek  and 
Alseya  River  are  two  streams  rising  in  St.  Mary's  Peak, 
and  flowing — the  first  into  Yaquina  Bay,  and  the 
other  into  the  ocean. 

The  Alseya  really  falls  into  a  bay,  into  which  ves- 
sels of  light  tonnage  can  come  in  fair  weather.  Tlie 
immense  cedar  forests  which  border  this  river  make 


COUNTIES  CO^rPARED.  199 

this  an  excellent  point  for  establishing  lumber-mills. 
The  greater  portion  of  this  land  is  still  Government 
land,  with  the  exception  of  a  small  Indian  Agency : 
another  feature  in  favor  of  the  coast  side  of  Benton 
County.  The  hunter  and  trapper  may  find  plenty  of 
amusement  and  occupation  about  the  bays  and  streams 
and  in  the  Coast  Mountains.  Such  game  as  elk,  bear, 
and  deer,  are  plentiful ;  while  water -fowl,  beaver, 
otter,  and  mink,  are  more  than  abundant.  Corvallis, 
the  shire -town,  has  already  been  noticed  in  another 
chapter ;  besides  which  there  are  six  or  eight  smaller 
towns  in  this  county — ten  post-offices  in  all. 

Lane  County  is  the  largest  county  in  the  Wallamet 
Valley,  with  a  rare  combination  of  agricultural  and 
manufacturing  facilities.  Extending,  as'  it  does,  from 
the  Cascade  Mountains  on  the  east,  to  the  Pacific 
Ocean  on  the  west,  and  embracing  within  its  limits  the 
three  forks  of  the  Wallamet  River,  besides  that  branch 
bearing  the  sobriquet  of  Long  Tom — having  thousands 
of  acres  of  the  best  grain -land — thousands  more  of 
excellent  pasture — thousands  more  of  splendid  tim- 
ber, with  water  -  power  in  abundance  —  it  contains 
within  itself  the  resources  of  a  small  State;  being,  in 
fact,  more  than  twice  and  one -half  as  large  as  Rhode 
Island. 

We  have  already  spoken  of  this  county  rather  par- 
ticularly in  describing  the  advantages  of  Eugene  City — 
which  must  become,  to  a  great  extent,  a  depot  for  the 
productions  of  the  upper  half  of  the  Wallamet  Valley. 
To  the  eye,  Lane  County  presents  a  very  attractive 
diversity  of  surface  :  prairies,  that  from  level  become 
undulating  ;  and  hills,  that  from  being  long  swells  of 
scantily  wooded  uplands,  rise  gradually  into  high 
mountains,  with  crowns  of  rugged,  evergreen  forest. 


200  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

The  value  of  taxable  property  in  this  county  is  greater 
in  proportion  to  the  amount  of  land  cultivated,  than 
in  any  other  except  Multnomah,  in  which  Portland  is 
situated. 

The  climate  of  this  portion  of  the  valley  is  rather 
drier  than  at  the  northern  end ;  owing,  perhaps,  to 
its  greater  elevation  of  four  hundred  feet.  The  nature 
of  the  soil  does  not  vary  much  from  that  of  other  por- 
tions of  the  valley  in  similar  situations.  It  is  a  beauti- 
ful sight  to  behold  the  luxuriant  wheat -fields  about 
the  last  of  June,  just  before  the  grain  begins  to  ripen, 
and  when  the  lovely  spotted  white  lily — Lilimn  Wash- 
ingtonium — stands  head  and  shoulders  higher  among 
it,  scenting  all  the  air  with  its  sweetness.  The  flowers 
of  summer,  and  the  richer  landscape  tints  of  autumn, 
make  these  valley -pictures  always  beautiful,  sometimes 
exquisitely  so. 

Having  reached  the  head  of  the  Wallamet  Valley 
through  the  counties  above  named,  we  find,  on  return- 
ing by  the  east  side,  that  the  principal  difference  be- 
tween those  on  the  west  and  these  on  the  east  side  of 
the  river,  consists  in  the  latter  possessing  a  larger  pro- 
portion of  level  prairie -land.  There  is  also  rather  a 
better  style  of  farming  on  this  side  of  the  river ;  on 
the  average,  more  grain  being  raised  to  the  acre,  and 
other  products  in  proportion. 

Linn  County  has  an  area  of  nearly  three  thousand 
square  miles  ;  a  population  of  nearly  nine  tliousand  ; 
and  pays  taxes  on  $3,000,000  assessable  property. 
The  estimated  productions  for  the  year  18G8  were  — 
Wheat,  398,336  bushels  ;  oats,  590,790  ;  corn,  18,084  ; 
barley,  11,15G  ;  potatoes,  595,790  ;  apples,  107,922  ; 
tobacco,  19,108  pounds ;  wool,  2G4,29G  ;  butter,  52G,- 
266 ;    cheese,  8,852 ;    hay,   3,776   tons      It  was  also 


COUNTIES  COMPARED.  201 

estimated  that  this  county  contained  twenty  thousand 
head  of  cattle,  eight  thousand  horses,  twenty -five 
thousand  hogs,  and  more  than  fifty  thousand  head  of 
sheep.  The  amount  of  land  brought  under  cultivation 
within  the  last  three  years,  must  have  greatly  increased 
the  products  of  this  county  ;  and  we  regret  not  being 
able  to  give  the  report  for  1871. 

It  strikes  one,  on  learning  the  number  of  cattle, 
horses,  and  sheep,  that  the  amount  of  hay  raised  is 
very  inadequate  to  the  demand.  But  the  discrepancy 
is  explained  by  the  fact  that  sheep  require  no  fodder 
in  ordinary  winters,  when  there  is  no  snow.  One 
month  of  feeding  suffices  for  cattle — should  the  winter 
be  severe,  two  months.  Farmers  sometimes  have  hay 
three  or  four  years  old  before  it  is  necessary  to  feed 
it  out. 

The  freedom  from  care  about  their  stock,  proves,  as 
might  be  expected,  occasionally,  a  snare  to  the  over- 
confident or  negligent  stock  -  raiser  ;  and  a  winter  of 
unusual  severity,  with  snow,  comes  to  deprive  him  of 
the  cattle  he  was  too  improvident  to  furnish  food  for. 
A  month  or  six  weeks  of  pinching  and  starving  will 
strew  with  the  carcasses  of  his  cattle  and  horses  those 
bountiful  pastures,  which  for  years  had  never  refused 
them  support.  That  such  a  thing  should  occur  is  a  re- 
proach to  the  farmer,  who  has  no  excuse  for  not  having 
food  enough  for  a  ''hard  winter"  in  Western  Oregon. 
The  straw  which  is  wasted  by  burning,  if  saved,  would 
suffice  to  feed  his  stock,  in  case  of  need.  If  not 
needed,  it  could  be  left  to  rot,  and  be  returned  to  the 
fields  as  manure. 

Even  in  the  mildest  winters,  cattle,  especially  milch 
cows,  would  be  much  better  for  foddering ;  because 
from  the  almost  constant  rains,  the  grass  is  watery,  and 

14 


202  OREGON   AND  WASHINGTON. 

the  cattle  are  drenched  and  cold.  More  sheds,  and 
more  dry  food,  would  make  the  cattle  and  sheep  better- 
looking  in  the  spring ;  whereas  with  the  present  sys- 
tem they  present  a  rough  and  miserable  appearance  by 
the  time  the  winter  is  over. 

The  wealth  of  Linn  County  is  not  confined  to  its  ag- 
ricultural resources,  though  its  people,  with  rare  good 
sense,  prefer  to  think  so.  That  part  of  the  Cascade 
Range  in  which  the  Santiam  River  has  its  rise  is  known 
to  produce  gold  and  silver,  and  also  lead.  But  for 
reasons  easily  understood  by  the  reader  of  our  notes 
on  the  forests  and  mountains,  "prospecting"  is  ex- 
ceedingly difficult  in  the  Cascades  ;  and  probably  many 
years  will  elapse  before  the  mineral  wealth  of  Western 
Oregon  is  even  partially  understood.  It  is  stored  away 
in  the  hidden  recesses  of  the  mountains,  there  to  re- 
main a  promise  of  employment  and  riches  to  future 
generations,  when  the  population  of  the  Wallamet  Val- 
ley has  become  dense  enough  to  drive  men  into  other 
than  the  peaceful  pursuits  of  agriculture. 

Linn  County  has  a  large  proportion  of  prairie-land, 
with  here  and  there  a  group  of  hills,  or  a  single  isolated 
butte,  furnishing  a  pleasant  relief  to  the  eye.  Besides 
Albany,  the  shire-town,  it  has  half  a  dozen  small  towns, 
all  pleasantly  located  and  prosperous.  It  contains  fif- 
teen saw -mills,  and  eight  flouring -mills,  besides  one 
woolen -mill,  one  tannery,  and  several  wagon  and  ma- 
chine-shops ;  and  is,  in  fact,  one  of  the  very  best  divis- 
ions of  the  Wallamet  Valley. 

Marion  County  is  neither  quite  so  large  as  Linn,  nor 
has  it  as  great  an  extent  of  level  prairie ;  its  surface 
being  more  diversified.  In  fertility  it  is  quite  equal ; 
and  in  population  and  property  exceeds  its  southern 
neighbor.     Its  mineral  and  commercial  advantages  are 


COUNTIES  COMPARED.  203 

the  same.  Its  manufacturing  establishments  are  fif- 
teen saw -mills,  ten  flouring -mills,  one  pork  and  beef- 
packing  establishment,  one  woolen-factory,  two  carding- 
machines,  one  oil -mill,  two  tanneries,  three  machine- 
shops,  one  foundry,  three  sash  and  door  factories,  and 
three  cabinet-shops. 

Probably  not  more  than  one -eighth  of  the  land  in 
Marion  County  was  ever  broken  by  the  plow.  A 
considerable  portion  of  it  belongs  to  the  School-fund, 
and  may  still  be  purchased  for  two  dollars  an  acre. 
The  prices  of  farming  lands  range  from  three  to  twenty 
dollars ;  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Salem  they  command 
twenty  to  fifty.  The  Marion  County  assessment — in- 
debtedness off— is  $3,975,199,  an  increase  of  $438,864 
over  last  year.  The  whole  tax  in  the  county  this  year, 
including  the  four-mill  tax  for  building  a  Court  House, 
is  seventeen  and  a  half  mills. 

Taking  Marion  as  a  specimen  county,  as  from  its  di- 
versity of  soil  we  might,  we  find,  first,  that  the  soil  of 
the  river-bottoms  is  composed  of  sand,  vegetable  mold, 
and  various  decomposed  earths ;  a  new  deposit  being 
made,  annually,  by  the  winter  overflow.  These  allu- 
vial bottoms  are  exceedingly  fertile,  and  adapted  to 
corn,  tobacco,  potatoes,  and  vegetables  of  all  kinds. 
Second,  the  soil  of  the  prairies  consists  of  a  mixture 
of  sand  loam  and  alluvial  deposit,  with  a  base  of  clay. 
It  is  particularly  adapted  to  the  production  of  all  kinds 
of  grain,  and  tame  grasses  ;  and  almost  equally  to  roots, 
vegetables,  and  fruit.  This  soil  is  mellow,  and  not 
much  affected  by  drought.  Third,  the  hill  land  is  of  a 
red  color,  much  impregnated  with  iron,  in  the  form  of 
a  black  sand,  such  as  is  found  in  the  gold  placers  of 
Southern  Oregon  and  California.  There  is  also  allu- 
vium mixed  with  this  earth,  being  the  wash  of  the 


204  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

mountains.  This  soil  is  excellent  for  almost  any  pur- 
pose, producing  superior  wheat,  and  being  better 
adapted  to  fruit  than  the  soil  of  the  prairies. 

It  is  a  pity  that  agricultural  societies  have  not 
thought  of  giving  prizes  for  model  farms.  It  would  be 
gratifying  to  know  just  what  the  land  of  Marion 
County,  for  instance,  would  produce,  if  made  to  do 
its  best.  We  find  at  fairs  choice  lots  of  wheat,  or  oats, 
which  may  be  the  result  more  of  accident  than  of  good 
farming.  We  hear  many  persons  say  that  twenty  bush- 
els of  wheat  to  the  acre  is  a  fair  crop  ;  and  others  who 
profess  to  raise  sixty  bushels  to  the  acre.  Somewhere 
between  the  two  extremes  is  the  mean  product  of  well- 
tilled  land. 

There  certainly  are  some  farms  which  jrield  fifty 
bushels  to  the  acre,  of  wheat  weighing  sixty-six  pounds 
to  the  bushel ;  and  oats  eighty  bushels  to  the  acre, 
weighing  forty -seven  pounds  to  the  bushel.  If  any 
of  these  farms  can  be  made  to  produce  this  amount  of 
grain  year  after  year,  then  we  shall  know  what  the 
Wallamet  Valley  can  do  toward  provisioning  the  world. 
But  nobody  knows  what  is  the  greatest  capacity  of 
these  farms,  because  almost  nobody  ever  does  any  thing 
to  improve  or  to  restore  the  land.  Twenty  years  of 
grain-raising,  without  manuring,  has  been  wearing  out 
the  oldest  land  instead  of  improving  it. 

We  have  been  assured  that  nine-tenths  of  the  winter 
wheat  raised  in  the  Wallamet  Valley  has  been  sowed 
in  February  or  March,  on  ground  that  had  been  plowed 
when  saturated  with  the  winter  rains,  and  harrowed 
when  the  only  effect  of  the  harrow  was  to  make  it 
lumpy.  After  thus  "mudding  in"  the  seed,  a  crop  of 
eighteen  bushels  to  the  acre  is  the  result ;  while  wheat 
sowed  in  the  fall  always  produces  a  full  crop.     The 


COUNTIES   COMPARED.  205 

ground  for  wheat,  it  is  said,  should  be  plowed  late  in 
the  spring,  before  it  has  become  too  dry  ;  and  plowed 
deep.  In  September,  or  when  the  first  light  rains  come 
to  soften  the  earth,  it  should  be  cross -plowed  and 
sowed.  During  summer  the  ground  is  too  dry,  and 
during  winter  too  wet,  for  the  plow.  "Wheat  properly 
put  in,  on  good  ground,  and  having  a  whole  summer  of 
sunshine,  without  storm,  to  ripen  in,  and  a  harvest  with- 
out rain,  has  every  chance  of  turning  out  forty  bush- 
els to  the  acre  ;  and  this  is  probably  not  too  much  to 
expect  of  Marion  County  throughout.  The  farm  of 
Hon.  Sam.  Brown,  adjoining  the  new  railroad  town  of 
Gervais,  is  the  crack  farm  of  the  east  side.  It  con- 
tains one  thousand  acres  under  fence,  and  has  under 
cultivation  several  hundred  acres.  A  fine  substantial 
farm-house,  with  all  the  necessary  out-buildings  in  good 
repair,  give  the  place  an  air  of  age  and  wealth  which 
few  Oregon  farms  possess. 

Marion  may  also  be  considered  a  type  -of  the  Wal- 
lamet  Valley  in  its  other  natural  resources — of  timber, 
water-power,  and  minerals;  and,  like  the  agricultural 
resources,  they  are  scarcely  yet  touched  upon  by  the 
hand  of  improvement.  All  the  varieties  of  lumber- 
making  trees  and  timber  for  cabinet  and  other  pur- 
poses, which  have  been  named  elsewhere,  are  native  to 
the  mountains,  the  plains,  or  the  river -bottoms  of  this 
county. 

Of  towns  or  post-offices  outside  of  Salem,  the  county 
has  twelve.  One  of  the  most  thrifty  of  these  is  Au- 
rora, on  the  line  of  the  Oregon  and  California  Rail- 
road. Aurora  is  settled  by  a  colony  of  Dutch,  who 
own  sixteen  thousand  acres  of  land,  which  they  culti- 
vate on  Fourier  principles ;  and  suffer  themselves  to 
be  ruled  over  by  an  autocrat,  named  Dr.  Lyle,  who 


206  OREGON  AOT>  WASHINGTON. 

manages  not  only  their  financial,  but  their  spiritual  and 
material  affairs,  quite  to  the  general  satisfaction.  This 
seems  to  be  just  such  another  colony  as  that  one  set- 
tled at  Zoar,  in  Ohio — a  place  famous  for  peace,  plenty, 
and  cheerful  industry.  They  have  a  common  interest, 
a  common  religion,  and  a  common  political  creed — 
republican. 

Clackamas  and  Multnomah  counties  are  not,  to  any 
great  extent,  grain -growing — both  being  covered  with 
timber,  except  some  prairie  spots.  Farms  are  yearly 
being  cleared  out  of  the  timbered  land,  but  oftener 
for  fruits  and  vegetables  thtm  for  grain.  The  quality 
of  the  land  is  excellent,  and  its  neighborhood  to  man- 
ufactures and  to  commerce  will  always  make  it  valua- 
ble. The  timber,  water-power,  mineral  deposits,  and 
fisheries  of  Clackamas  County,  seem  to  point  to  its 
future  commercial  prominence.  The  woolen -mill 
at  Oregon  City,  and  the  iron -works  at  Oswego,  are  but 
the  indications  of  its  adaptability  to  manufactures. 

The  agricultural  portion  of  Multnomah  is  comprised 
in  eight  miles  of  level  timbered  land,  between  the 
Wallamet  and  Columbia  rivers ;  Sauvie's  Island,  with 
several  other  small  islands,  in  the  Wallamet ;  and  a 
strip  of  bottom-land  extending  along  the  river — in 
all  amounting  to  perhaps  fifty  thousand  acres.  The  re- 
mainder is  mountainous  and  heavily  timbered,  with 
occasional  meadows,  or  ancient  beaver -dams.  It  is 
the  richest  county  in  the  State,  owing  to  having  Port- 
land for  its  county  -  seat.  On  the  very  northern  boun- 
dary of  the  county,  adjoining  Columbia  County,  are 
some  valuable  salt -springs,  from  which  have  been 
manufactured  the  very  finest  quality  of  salt,  but  not  in 
quantity  to  supply  the  demand  for  best  dairy  and 
meat -curing  salt. 


COUNTIES   COMPARED.  207 

There  is  another  division  of  the  Wallamet  Valley — 
Columbia  County — which  belongs  about  equally  to 
the  Columbia  Valley.  It  borders  for  thirty -five  miles 
on  the  Columbia  River,  and  for  fifteen  on  the  Wal- 
lamet. It  has  the  Tualatin  Plains  for  its  southern 
boundary,  and  the  Coast  Range  for  its  western.  It 
contains  about  two  hundred  thousand  acres  of  heavily 
timbered  uplands  and  ridges,  and  about  one  hundred 
thousand  of  rich  bottom-lands  —  most  of  it  subject 
to  overflow,  in  the  summer  flood  of  the  Columbia. 

Where  the  land  has  been  cleared  and  farmed,  it  has 
proven  very  productive  ;  the  farmers  preferring  to 
raise  fruit  and  vegetables  to  grain,  and  more  of  them 
being  stock -raisers  and  dairymen  than  agriculturists. 

The  resources  of  Columbia  County  really  lie  in  her 
timber,  water-power,  iron -beds,  coal-mines,  fisheries, 
and  salt -springs.  Her  advantages  are  rather  those  of 
a  commercial,  than  a  farming,  district.  Lying  just 
between  the  great  grain  -  growing  region  and  the  great 
natural  highway  of  commerce — the  Columbia  River — 
it  can  not  be  long  before  her  natural  wharves  of  solid 
basalt  shall  be  in  use  to  accommodate  the  exchange 
between  these  two. 

The  whole  northern  boundary  of  this  county  has  a 
depth  of  water  along  it,  varying  from  forty  to  seventy- 
two  feet,  with  a  channel  wide  enough  in  most  places 
for  vessels  to  "round  out"  with  ease.  These  advan- 
tages can  not  be  disregarded  in  the  planning  of  the 
best  and  shortest  routes  for  trade  and  travel.  Whether 
or  not  the  North  Pacific  and  Oregon  Central  Railroad 
centre  at  Portland  for  the  present,  the  time  can  not  be 
far  distant  when  an  air -line  road,  from  the  Columbia 
River  to  some  point  on  the  valley  roads,  will  be  con- 
structed ;  thus  making,  direct,  a  line  from  Puget  Sound 


208  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

to  San  Francisco  Bay.  The  future  of  Columbia  County 
as  a  commercial  district,  will  then  be  more  assured 
than  any  other  in  Western  Oregon,  unless  Astoria 
should  finally  become  the  great  city  of  the  Columbia  ; 
and  even  then,  all  the  inland  trade  would  drift  to  the 
Columbia  by  the  air -line  road. 

The  summer  climate  of  Columbia  County  is  several 
degrees  cooler  than  that  of  Multnomah,  having  the 
breeze  direct  from  the  sea,  by  way  of  the  Columbia 
River,  In  winter  the  south-west  storms  do  not  have 
access  to  it  with  full  violence  along  the  Columbia,  on 
account  of  the  sheltering  hills  toward  the  south.  It 
has  opposite  to  it  some  of  the  richest  lands,  especially 
dairy -lands,  in  Washington  Territory;  and  Sauvie's 
Island  is  just  at  its  eastern  end.  At  present  the  popu- 
lation is  small,  but  well-to-do  and  industrious.  It 
has  six  lumber-mills,  and  one  grist-mill,  with  others 
in  course  of  erection.  The  steam  saw -mill  at  St. 
Helen  is  one  of  the  largest,  if  not  the  largest,  in  the 
State.     Its  capacity  has  been  given  elsewhere. 

There  are  several  small  streams  emptying  into  the 
Columbia  in  this  county,  whose  valleys  are  being  rap- 
idly settled  up  by  individuals  or  by  colonies.  The 
Claskenine,  in  the  western  end  of  it,  has  some  excel- 
lent farms  along  its  course.  The  farmers  in  the  Co- 
lumbia Valley  have  the  advantage  of  lumbering  and 
fishing,  in  addition  to  farming,  as  a  means  of  acquiring 
wealth — an  advantage  which  begins  to  be  perceived  in 
the  increasing  prosperity  of  this  most  sparsely  settled 
portion  of  Oregon. 

The  entire  area  of  the  Wallamet  Valley  is  about 
that  of  the  State  of  Connecticut — or  five  thousand 
square  miles — with  almost  no  waste- land  in  it.  It  is 
entirely  surrounded  by  mountains,  except  on  the  north 


•i  h. 


'■""•**"•*•.* 


COUNTIES  COMPARED.  209 

end,  and  is  125  miles  long,  by  an  average  breadth  of 
40  miles ;  without  estimating  the  mountainous  and 
timbered  country,  which  would  more  than  double  the 
number  of  square  miles.  The  soil  of  any  portion, 
even  as  high  as  the  tops  of  the  Coast  Mountains,  is  fer- 
tile ;  its  adaptability  to  farming  purposes  depending 
almost  entirely  on  its  situation  with  regard  to  altitude 
or  moisture. 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

THE   UMPQUA   VALLEY. 

It  was  a  clear,  sharp,  October  morning,  when  we 
left  Eugene  to  go  clown  into  Southern  Oregon.  As 
the  stage  rattled  out  of  town  in  the  direction  of  the 
Umpqua,  we  took  a  last,  lingering  look  at  the  fair, 
level  valley  we  were  leaving.  The  encircling  hills 
of  russet -color,  dotted  with  bits  of  green,  in  groups 
of  oaks  or  pines ;  of  Spenser's  Butte,  with  its  sharp, 
dark -tinted  cone  ;  and  of  the  blue  Cascades,  now  pur- 
pling under  the  morning  sunrise.  From  the  most  distant 
mountains,  light -gray  mists  were  rising  ;  in  the  middle 
distance,  was  a  purple  interval ;  on  the  nearer  hills, 
rich,  yellow  sunlight.  The  orb  of  day  was  not  yet 
high  enough  to  shine  on  the  hither  side  of  the  peaks 
behind  which  he  was  mounting.  They  stood  in  their 
own  shadow,  and  let  his  slant  beams  bridge  the  valleys 
between  their  royal  heights,  until  they  rested  on  the 
humbler  foot-hills  among  which  we  were  wending  our 
t  way,  and  touched  with  a  golden  radiance  the  yellow 
leaves  of  the  maples,  or  silvered  the  ripples  in  the 
Wallamet  water. 

.  Such  gorgeousness  of  color  never  shone,  out  of  the 
tropics,  as  the  vine  -  maple,  ash,  and  white  -  maple  dis- 
play, along  the  streams  in  this  part  of  Oregon.  We 
had  thought  them  bright,  glowing,  radiant,  on  the  Co- 
lumbia and  Lower  Wallamet ;  but  nowhere  had  we 
found  them  so  brilliant  as  at  the  head  of  the  Wallamet 


THE   UMPQUA   VALLEY.  211 

Valley.  And,  as  we  afterward  ascertained,  this  is 
nearly  the  southern  limit  of  the  beautiful  vine -maple. 
It  was  almost  in  vain  that  we  looked  for  its  scarlet- 
flaming  thickets  fifty  miles  farther  south  ;  and  at  a 
hundred  miles  it  had  disappeared  from  the  landscape 
altogether. 

The  Umpqua  Valley  is  divided  from  the  Wallamet 
by  a  transverse  range  of  mountains — spurs  either  of 
the  Cascade  or  Coast  Range,  or  both  intermingled  — 
called  the  Calapooyas.  The  road  leads  through  the 
gorge  of  a  creek,  where  the  thick  woods,  in  places, 
quite  exclude  the  sun  —  almost  the  light  of  day. 
Bright  as  the  weather  was,  and  dry  as  the  autumn  had 
been,  there  was  a  shadow,  coolness,  and  moisture  here, 
among  the  thick  -  standing,  giant  trees,  the  under- 
wood, and  the  ferns  and  mosses.  A  very  pleasant 
ride  on  such  a  morning,  but  one  which  might  be  ex- 
ceedingly uncomfortable  in  the  rainy  season,  though 
never  an  uninteresting  one. 

The  Umpqua  Valley,  which  we  had  first  seen  in  its 
June  freshness,  was  now  sere  with  the  long  drought  of 
summer,  followed  by  a  rainless  autumn.  Still,  it 
looked  beautiful  —  one  so  soon  learns  to  admire  the 
soft  coloring  of  these  dry  countries — the  pale,  russet 
hues  of  the  valleys ;  the  neutral  tints  in  rocks  and 
fences  ;  the  quiet,  dark  -  green  of  the  forests  ;  and  the 
clear,  pale,  unclouded  blue  of  the  heavens.  The  ex- 
pression of  these  landscapes  is  that  of  soft  repose. 
Nature  herself  seems  resting,  and  it  is  no  reproach  to 
man  that  he,  too,  forgets  to  work,  and  only  dreams. 
But  the  men  of  this  period  are  not  dreamers.  Even 
in  the  sacredest  haunts  of  Nature,  they  plot  business, 
and  talk  railroad !  We  certainly  thought  railroad,  as 
our  eyes  wandered  over  this   beautiful,  but   isolated 


212  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

valley,  and  our  imagination  became  busy  with  the 
future. 

This  valley,  or  Douglas  County,  covers  an  area  of 
4,950  square  miles.  Unlike  the  Wallamet,  it  has  no 
great  extent  of  level  prairie  -  land  bordering  on  the 
river  from  which  it  derives  its  name,  but  is  a  rolling 
country,  a  perfect  jumble  of  small  valleys  and  ridges  ; 
the  valleys  prairies,  and  the  hills  wooded  with  fir  on  top, 
but  generally  bare,  or  dotted  with  oak,  on  their  long, 
sloping  ridges.  It  is  a  sort  of  country  where  a  man 
may  seem  to  have  a  little  world  all  to  himself ;  owning 
mountains,  hills,  plains,  and  streams,  or  at  least  a 
stream  ;  and  not  either  overlooked  by,  or  at  any  great 
distance  from,  a  neighbor. 

Extending  from  the  Cascade  Mountains  to  the  Pacific 
Ocean,  east  and  west,  and  bounded  on  the  north  and 
south  by  transverse  ranges,  it  embraces  all  the  country 
drained  by  the  Umpqua  River  ;  and  is  in  size  and  re- 
sources fit  to  constitute  a  State  by  itself.  Its  more 
southern  latitude,  greater  elevation,  and  climate,  with 
a  mingling  of  sea-breezes  and  mountain  air,  gives  it 
many  advantages,  making  it  salubrious  and  productive. 
Its  prairies  are  adapted  to  wheat  and  all  cereals ;  its 
creek-bottoms  to  Indian  corn,  melons,  and  vegetables  ; 
its  foot-hills  to  every  variety  of  fruit ;  and  its  uplands 
to  grazing. 

The  same  general  variety  of  timber  grows  here  as  in 
the  Wallamet  Valley ;  and  a  few  kinds  in  addition. 
The  evergreen  myrtle  is  a  fine  cabinet-wood  not  known 
to  Northern  Oregon  ;  the  wild  plum  and  wild  grape 
also  are  native  to  this  county  ;  and  the  splendid  Rho- 
dodendron Maximum^  with  its  immense  flowers,  of  a  deep 
rose  color.  A  great  variety  of  wild  flowers  adorn  the 
grassy  slopes  in  summer.     Strawberries  of  several  na- 


THE   UMPQUA   VALLEY.  213 

tive  species  are  abundant,  and  delicious.  Game  abounds 
in  the  mountains  ;  fish  in  the  streams.  In  this  month 
of  October  we  saw  on  the  apple  and  pear-trees  a  new 
set  of  blossoms — some  of  the  fruit  having  grown  as 
large  as  a  gooseberry. 

Douglas  County  has  under  cultivation  only  twenty- 
five  thousand  acres,  with  a  population  of  six  thousand. 
From  this  average  it  will  be  seen  that  grazing  is  more 
followed  than  grain-growing.  The  reasons  are  obvious 
for  the  preponderance  of  stock  -  raisers  :  the  difficulty 
of  getting  so  heavy  a  product  as  grain  to  market,  over 
mountain  roads ;  and  the  greater  profit  of  wool,  which 
can  be  exported  ;  or  of  beef-cattle  and  hogs,  which  can 
be  driven  to  the  mines,  in  adjacent  counties,  or  Cali- 
fornia. 

Douglas  County  has  a  sea -port  of  its  own — Scotts- 
burg — situated  at  the  head  of  navigation,  on  the  Ump- 
qua  River,  about  thirty  miles  from  the  sea.  Umpqua 
Bay  is  a  small,  but  safe  harbor,  into  which  vessels  and 
steamers  of  light  draught  can  come  with  ease.  It  was 
once  projected  to  build  up  a  city  at  the  mouth  of  the 
river,  and  a  company  for  that  purpose  was  formed  in 
1849  ;  but  the  project  was  finally  abandoned  as  being 
premature.  Scottsburg  is  at  present  the  main  entrepot 
for  the  commerce  of  this  valley — from  which  port  goods 
are  wagoned  fifty  miles  to  Roseburg.  Late  surveys  of 
the  river  between  Scottsburg  and  Roseburg  have  re- 
sulted in  an  attempt  to  improve  its  navigation  between 
these  two  places,  so  that  boats  can  come  up  to  Rose- 
burg about  six  months  in  the  year. 

The  resources  of  the  Umpqua  Valley,  besides  its  ag- 
riculture and  stock-raising,  are  gold -mining  and  lum- 
bering. Really,  its  mineral  wealth  is  very  little  known. 
Coal  beds  are  found  on  the  north  fork  of  the  Umpqua. 


214  OREGON   AND    WASHINGTON. 

Limestone,  brown  sandstone,  salt- springs,  besides  sul- 
phur and  soda- springs,  are  known  to  exist ;  but  these 
things  are  left  untouched  until  a  more  numerous  popu- 
lation calls  for  their  appropriation  and  use.  Salmon- 
fishing  is  carried  on  to  some  extent  near  the  mouth  of 
the  river  ;  and  also  fishing  for  oysters  along  the  coast. 
The  coast  country  is  an  excellent  one  for  fruit -raising 
and  butter -making  ;  for  the  former  on  account  of  the 
absence  of  frost,  for  the  latter  on  account  of  excellent 
and  ever -fresh  grasses,  cold  spring -water,  and  even 
temperature. 

Traveling  through  the  valley  by  the  stage-road  from 
the  north,  Oakland  is  the  first  town  of  much  impor- 
tance we  cotne  to.  It  is  beautifully  situated  on  a 
branch  of  the  Umpqua  River,  among  a  grove  of  the 
trees  from  which  it  takes  its  name.  Among  its  pub- 
lic buildings  is  the  Oakland  Academy,  used  both  for 
school  purposes  and  for  the  holding  of  religious  serv- 
ices by  the  Methodists  ;  and  a  Masonic  Hall.  Ten 
miles  south  of  Oakland  is  another  academy — at  Wil- 
bur— also  under  the  patronage  of  the  Methodist  Church. 

Roscburg,  the  county-seat,  is  a  pretty  little  town  of 
five  hundred  inhabitants,  charmingly  located  in  one 
of  the  oak  parks  bordering  the  Umpqua  River.  It 
has  an  academy,  four  churches,  a  Masonic  and  Odd 
Fellows'  Hall,  and  public  schools ;  and  all  the  usual 
trades  and  manufactures  of  an  inland  town.  Too 
much  can  not  be  said  of  the  landscape  beauty  of  this 
part  of  the  county.  It  is  easy  to  foresee  that  when 
these  valleys  are  made  accessible  they  will  be  popu- 
lated rapidly  ;  as  well  from  their  attractiveness  as  from 
the  excellence  of  soil  and  climate.  A  United  States 
Land  Office  is  located  at  Roseburg.  Farming  land  can 
be  purchased  at  from  three  to  fifteen  dollars  an  acre. 


THE    UMPQUA    VALLEY.  215 

We  have  already  referred  to  wool-growing  as  one  of 
the  leading  interests  of  Douglas  County.  In  the  year 
1869  this  county  exported  430,000  pounds;  and  the 
amount  is  annually  increasing.  The  same  year  it  con- 
tained 11,000  head  of  cattle  and  100,000  sheep.  The 
amount  of  bacon  exported  is  not  known,  though  it  is 
considerable.  The  oak  glades  of  Umpqua  furnish 
great  quantities  of  food  for  hogs,  at  no  expense — the 
acorns  seldom  failing  to  be  a  good  crop. 

Water-power,  of  unlimited  extent,  can  be  had  —  the 
finest  being  near  Winchester,  on  the  Middle  Fork  of 
the  Umpqua.  The  site  has  been  offered  as  a  gift  to 
any  Company  who  would  erect  manufactories  at  this 
place.  It  is  an  excellent  situation  for  a  woolen -mill, 
being  about  in  the  centre  of  the  county. 

The  road  from  Roseburg,  toward  the  south,  gives  us 
views  of  very  great  beauty  and  grandeur.  Every  va- 
riety of  surface  is  presented,  including  prairie  ;  gentle 
slopes,  picturesquely  wooded  ;  mountain  ridges ;  wild 
canyons ;  and  every  form  of  noble  or  pleasing  land- 
scape. The  Myrtle  Creek  Hills  remind  us  of  Harper's 
Ferry.  We  are  awed  and  delighted  with  the  Umpqua 
Canyon,  fully  as  wonderful  as  the  more  celebrated  Echo 
Canyon.  The  valley  of  Cow  Creek  fascinates  us,  w4th 
its  wild  and  solitary  beauty,  and  the  extraordinary 
richness  of  the  autumn  tints  with  which  the  mount- 
ain sides  are  resplendent. 

The  scenery  does  not  fail  for  one  moment  to  interest 
the  traveler  during  the  long  ride  which  takes  him  from 
the  Umpqua  iiiito  the  Rogue  River  Valley,  over  a  range 
of  mountains  of  that  name.  Traces  of  old  mining 
operations  begin  to  appear  along  this  route.  The  earth 
is  broken  and  scarred ;  old,  deserted  cabins  stare 
blankly  at  us  from  the  roadside  ;  abandoned  rockers 


216  OREGON   AND  WASHINGTON. 

and  pans,  testify  to  the  hope  and  the  despair,  or  the 
success,  of  former  gold  -  miners.  Passing  through  a 
country  where  the  soil  is  a  reddish  clay,  clothed  with 
groves  of  oak,  manzanita,  laurel,  and  pine,  we  come  at 
last  to  the  Rogue  River,  the  most  beautiful  of  mount- 
ain-born streams.  Quite  near  the  river,  on  the  stage- 
road,  the  traveler  finds  a  neat  hotel,  with  garden  at- 
tached, looking  so  home -like,  in  conjunction  with  its 
beautiful  surroundings,  that  the  temptation  to  stop 
over  for  a  day,  and  enjoy  the  peace  and  pleasantness 
of  the  place,  is  almost  irresistible — to  us,  quite  so. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

ROGUE   RIVER   VALLEY. 

Rogue  River  Valley,  like  the  Umpqua,  extends 
from  the  Cascade  Range  to  the  sea ;  embracing  all  the 
country  drained  by  Rogue  River  and  its  tributaries. 
It  has  the  Umpqua  Mountains  on  the  north,  the  Siski- 
you Mountains  on  the  south,  and  is  the  most  southern 
division  of  "Western  Oregon.  This  valley,  like  the 
Umpqua,  is  an  aggregation  of  smaller  valleys,  divided 
by  rolling  hills,  and  the  whole  encircled  by  elevated 
mountain  ranges.  The  Rogue  River  is  not  navigable 
any  great  distance  from  its  mouth,  owing  to  the  nu- 
merous rapids  and  falls  with  which  it  abounds ;  but 
for  the  same  reason  furnishes  abundant  water-power. 
Ocean  steamers  can  enter  and  carry  freight  as  far  up 
as  Ellensburg.  It  is  a  stream  of  unsurpassed  beauty, 
with  water  as  blue  as  a  clear  sky,  and  banks  over- 
hung, in  some  places,  with  wild  trees,  shaggy  cliffs,  and 
in  others  by  thickets  of  grape-vines  and  blossoming 
shrubbery. 

About  half  a  mile  off  the  road  to  Jacksonville  is  a 
fall  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  height,  down  which 
the  river  plunges,  between  rocky  cliffs,  into  a  basin  in 
the  gorge  below,  and  then  rushes  roaring  over  its  rocky 
bed,  for  some  distance,  through  a  deep  and  narrow 
ravine — the  whole  forming  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
of  the  many  beautiful  wild  scenes  in  this  altogether 
picturesque  country. 

16 


218  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

It  is  not  claimed  that  there  is  as  great  an  amount 
of  rich  alluvial  soil  in  this  section  of  Oregon  as  in  the 
valleys  north  of  it.  It  is  rathei'  more  elevated,  drier, 
and  on  the  whole  more  adapted  to  grazing  than  to  the 
growth  of  cereals.  Still,  there  is  enough  of  rich  land 
to  supply  its  own  population,  however  dense  ;  and  for 
fruit-growing  no  better  soil  need  be  looked  for.  A 
sort  of  compromise  between  the  dryness  of  California 
and  the  moisture  of  Northern  Oregon  and  Washing- 
ton— warmer  than  the  latter,  from  its  more  southern 
latitude,  yet  not  too  warm  by  reason  of  its  altitude  — 
the  climate  of  this  valley  renders  it  most  desirable. 
Midway  between  Sun  Francisco  Bay  and  the  Columbia 
River,  what  with  its  own  fruitfulness,  and  the  produc- 
tions of  the  Wallamet  and  Sacramento  valleys  on 
either  hand,  within  a  few  hours  by  railway  carriage  — 
the  markets  of  the  Rogue  River  Valley  can  be  freshly 
supplied  with  both  temperate  and  semi-tropical  lux- 
uries. 

The  grape,  peach,  apricot,  and  nectarine,  which  are 
cultivated  with  difficulty  in  the  Wallamet  Valley, 
thrive  excellently  in  this  more  high  and  southern 
location.  The  creek -bottoms  produce  Indian  corn, 
tobacco,  and  vegetables,  equally  well ;  and  the  more 
elevated  plateaux  produce  wheat  of  excellent  quality, 
and  large  quantity,  where  they  have  been  cultivated : 
still,  as  before  stated,  this  valley  is  commonly  under- 
stood to  be  a  stock-raising,  fruit,  and  wool-gi'owing 
country — perhaps  because  that  kind  of  farming  is  at 
once  easy  and  lucrative — and  because  so  good  a  market 
for  fruit,  beef,  mutton,  bacon,  and  dairy  products  has 
always  existed  in  the  mines  of  this  valley  and  Cali- 
fornia. 

The  placer -mines  of  Rogue  River  Valley  continued 


ROGUE  RIVER  VALLEY.  219 

to  yield  gold  in  paying  quantities  to  white  men,  for 
about  twelve  years ;  since  when,  the  diggings  have 
chiefly  been  abandoned  to  Chinamen,  who  are  content 
with  smaller  profits.  Quartz -leads  bearing  gold,  cop- 
per, and  silver  mines  are  known  to  exist  in  this  valley, 
as  well  as  lead,  iron,  and  coal  mines ;  but  the  limited 
capital  of  the  inhabitants,  and  the  greater  security  of 
other  means  of  living,  have  caused  them  to  remain 
undeveloped. 

Like  every  part  of  the  Pacific  Coast,  this  valley  has 
its  mineral  springs ;  and  like  all  the  rest  of  Oregon, 
its  trout-streams,  its  fine  forests,  game,  and  abundance 
of  good,  soft  water.  No  local  causes  for  disease  seem 
to  exist  here  ;  and  with  care  to  avoid  the  miasma 
always  arising  from  freshly  broken  ground,  we  can  not 
conceive  of  a  country  more  naturally  healthful,  or  in 
every  way  pleasant  to  live  in. 

The  Rogue  River  Valley  is  divided  into  three  coun- 
ties— Jackson,  Josephine,  and  Curry.  Jackson  County 
covers  an  area  of  11,556  square  miles,  and  has  a  popu- 
lation of  4,759  ;  about  fifteen  thousand  acres  of  culti- 
vated land,  and  assessable  property  to  the  amount  of 
$1,500,000.  The  price  of  farming  land  is  from  five  to 
ten  dollars  per  acre. 

Jacksonville,  the  county- seat  of  Jackson  County, 
with  a  population  of  one  thousand,  is  located  at  the 
head  of  a  valley,  forty  miles  long  by  about  twelve 
wide,  near  the  foot  of  the  Siskiyou  Mountains,  in  a 
romantic  and  beautiful  situation.  It  is  a  thriving 
business  place,  being  the  point  of  exchange  between 
the  mining  and  the  agricultural  population.  Ashland, 
the  second  town  in  the  county,  sixteen  miles  south- 
east of  Jacksonville,  has  a  fine  water-power,  and  a 
woolen -mill    erected    upon    it,    which    manufactures 


220  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

blankets,  flannels,  and  cassimeres.  A  flouring -mill, 
and  two  lumber-mills,  are  also  located  here;  besides 
a  marble  -  factory  and  machine-shop  —  showing  the 
manufacturing  enterprise  of  a  small  community.  The 
marble  used  here  is  taken  from  a  quarry  close  by,  and 
is  of  a  good  quality.  It  is  sparkling,  white,  hard,  and 
translucent ;  looking  like  a  conglomerate  of  large 
crystals.  It  is  sawed  by  water-power,  the  saw  only 
penetrating  about  three  inches  per  day. 

Josephine  County  embraces  2,500  square  miles  of 
the  more  mountainous  middle  division  of  the  Rogue 
River  Yalley.  Only  about  six  thousand  acres  have 
been  put  under  cultivation.  Its  population  is  dispro- 
portionately large,  when  the  amount  of  land  cultivated 
is  considered  ;  which  only  proves  that  its  principal 
wealth  is  presumed  to  consist  in  its  mines  of  gold, 
silver,  and  copper.  Mining  has  been  carried  on  with 
profit  for  about  ten  years  ;  and  the  enterprise  of  some 
companies  in  turning  the  water  out  of  the  beds  of 
some  of  the  streams,  has  lately  opened  up  rich  placers 
of  gold,  and  given  a  new  impetus  to  gold -mining. 

Copper -mining  has  not  been  so  successful,  chiefly 
on  account  of  the  purity  of  the  metal,  making  it  diffi- 
cult to  work.  Another  obstacle,  is,  want  of  transporta- 
tion for  the  ore  to  any  port  or  shipping -point.  This 
latter  obstacle  to  mining  operations  is  one  that  time 
and  capital  will  remove.  The  chief  mining  localities 
are  on  Josephine,  Althousc,  Sucker,  and  other  tribu- 
tary creeks  flowing  into  the  Illinois  River,  itself  a 
tributary  of  Rogue  River. 

Owing  to  the  shifting  nature  of  minmg  populations 
everywhere,  Josephine  County  has  less  assessable 
property  than  other  portions  of  the  country.  Yet  it 
is  one  of  the  most   delightful  parts  of  Oregon,  with 


ROGUE  RIVER   VALLEY.  221 

grand  mountains  and  quiet,  fertile  valleys,  lying  be- 
tween beautiful  slopes ;  with  oak  groves  looking  like 
old  orchards,  and  open  woods  of  the  noble  sugar-pine ; 
with  abundant  wild  fruits  and  flowers,  balmy  airs,  and 
odors  of  sweet-scented  violets.  ''It  is,"  a  lady  said 
to  us,  "a  paradise  of  beauty,  where,  if  one  had  one's 
friends,  life  would  be  as  charming  as  could  be  de- 
sired." 

Kirbyville  is  the  shire -town  of  Josephine  County, 
situated  on  the  Illinois  River,  and  doing  the  business 
of  a  flourishing  country  town.  Several  other  places 
of  minor  importance  are  located  on  the  different 
streams.  Educational  and  religious  privileges  have 
not  kept  pace  with  other  improvements  in  this  part  of 
the  Rogue  River  Valley,  for  the  same  reason  that  ren- 
ders all  mining  localities  inattentive  to  such  matters — 
the  want  of  a  permanent  population.  They  wait  for 
an  influx  of  steady -going  settlers  with  families,  a  great 
number  of  whom  could  find  delightful  homes  in  Jose- 
phine County,  at  Government  prices,  or  under  the 
homestead  law. 

Curry  County  differs  from  Josephine,  in  bemg  more 
heavily  timbered,  as  the  mountains  nearest  the  coast 
are  always  found  to  be.  In  among  the  mountains  are 
some  small  prairies,  and  others  are  found  extending 
along  the  sea -shore.  The  soil  everywhere  is  highly 
productive  ;  but  owing  to  the  great  preponderance  of 
lumbering  and  mineral  interests,  this  county  will  not 
become  notable  for  agriculture,  though  it  might  be 
esteemed  an  excellent  fruit  or  dairy  country.  Its  pop- 
ulation is  small,  on  account  of  its  inaccessibility.  The 
present  population  follow  gold -mining,  chiefly  on  the 
ocean -beach,  where  is  an  inexhaustible  mine,  which 
the  winter  winds  and  tides  throw  up  each  year  for  the 


222  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

work  of  the  following  summer.  The  gold  which  is 
everywhere  found  on  the  coast  of  Oregon,  but  more 
particularly  this  southern  portion,  conclusively  proves 
that  deposits  of  the  precious  metal  exist  in  the  Cascade 
or  Coast  mountains,  or  both.  That  which  is  found  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Umpqua  and  Rogue  rivers  might 
have  been  washed  from  the  Cascade  Range,  as  those 
rivers  rise  there.  But  farther  north,  on  the  coast, 
where  the  streams  all  rise  in  the  Coast  Range,  gold  is 
also  found,  though  it  has  not  been  mined,  as  in  these 
localities  it  has.  In  fact,  the  ''color"  may  be  "raised" 
in  almost  any  stream  in  Oregon,  and  we  have  seen 
it  taken  out  of  the  gravel  in  a  well  which  was  being 
dug  in  Portland. 

Curry  County  is  well  supplied  with  game  and  fish. 
Its  splendid  cedar  forests  are  worth  more  than  a  gold- 
mine to  whoever  will  convert  them  into  lumber. 
Cedar -trees  that  have  not  a  limb  on  them  for  a  hun- 
dred feet,  and  from  three  to  eight  feet  in  diameter,  are 
not  uncommon.  Port  Orford,  the  only  port  of  the 
Rogue  River  Yalley,  is  in  this  county,  and  also  Cape 
Blanco,  the  westernmost  point  in  Oregon.  There  is 
good  harborage  at  Port  Orford,  and  water  enough  for 
such  vessels  as  are  used  in  the  lumber  trade.  In  fair 
weather,  the  ocean  steamers  sometimes  call  here.  A 
road  is  built  across  the  mountains  from  the  port  into 
the  Umpqua  Valley ;  so  that,  with  some  improve- 
ments, Curry  County  might  bo  brought  into  note  for 
its  natural  productions,  instead  of  being  considered 
too  far  out  of  the  world  to  be  habitable.  Ellenburg 
is  the  county  -  seat. 

Curry  County  shares,  in  common  with  all  the  coast 
country,  a  climate  superior  in  some  respects  to  the 
valleys.     The  changes  in  temperature  are  less  than  in 


ROGUE   RIVER   VALLEY.  223 

the  interior ;  being  cooler  in  summer,  and  warmer  in 
winter.  The  sea -fogs  keep  the  vegetation  forever 
green  ;  and  miasmatic  diseases  are  unknown.  These 
are  certainly  advantages  not  to  be  contemned.  The 
settlers  in  the  valleys  would  like  to  live  on  the  coast, 
if  it  were  not  for  the  mountains  between  it  and  their 
fertile  prairies.  Yet,  it  is  just  by  these  mountains 
that  the  climate  of  each  division  is  made  what  it  is — 
partially  confining  the  sea -fogs  and  winds  to  the  coast, 
by  which  one  is  made  cool  and  moist,  while  the  other 
is  comparatively  warm  and  dry. 


CHAPTER  XX. 


THE   COAST   COUNTRY. 


Lying  north  of  Curry,  is  another  coast  county  — 
small,  but  well  known,  and  of  commercial  importance — 
and  that  is  Coos.  It  has  a  population  of  about  seven- 
teen hundred  ;  and  Empire  City,  the  county  -  seat,  has 
nearly  five  hundred.  This  county  is  famous  for  its 
coal  and  lumber.  Coos  Bay  coal  is  well  known  in 
the  San  Francisco  market,  the  mines  having  been 
worked  for  several  years.  Several  lumber-mills  do  a 
large  business  in  cutting  lumber  for  foreign  markets  ; 
and  the  business  of  preserving  fruit,  by  drying,  is  car- 
ried on  to  some  extent.  The  natural  resources  of  the 
county  are  not  yet  begun  to  be  developed  ;  but  they 
are  numerous  enough  to  make  it  famous  for  its  wealth, 
whenever  they  shall  be  open  to  trade. 

The  coast  country  of  Oregon  is  peculiar  in  its  phys- 
ical features.  The  Coast  Range  of  mountains  leaves 
but  a  narrow  strip  of  country  between  itself  and  the 
sea ;  and  were  this  narrow  belt  all  of  the  arable  land 
on  the  sea- side,  it  would  be  but  little.  But  the  Coast 
Range  sends  down  a  great  number  of  small  rivers,  all 
of  which  have  narrow  valleys  lying  between  high,  tim- 
bered ridges.  These  valleys  are  extremely  fertile,  the 
soil  being  composed  of  the  wash  of  the  mountains, 
mixed  with  sand,  and  furnished  with  abundant  moist- 
ure. Most  generally,  the  borders  of  such  streams  are 
covered  with  a  dense  growth  of  alder,  vine -maple, 


THE   COAST   COUNTRY.  225 

wild -cherry,  and  other  thrifty,  small  trees;  but  in 
some  cases,  the  bottom-lands  widen  out  so  as  to  leave 
fine  prairie  spots  between  the  streams  and  the  spurs 
of  the  hills.  All  these  valleys  will  grow  grain,  hardy 
fruits,  and  the  finest  of  vegetables,  in  abundance.  But 
owing  to  the  great  amount  of  moisture  from  the  sea, 
which  keeps  ever  verdant  the  nutritious  native  grasses, 
it  is  especially  a  dairy  country.  The  coolness  and 
evenness  of  the  temperature  along  the  coast  is  another 
advantage  to  dairying,  together  with  the  great  amount 
of  root-crops  which  the  ground  produces,  of  the  kinds 
best  for  milch  cows.  But  the  diversity  of  surface 
allows  the  farmer  to  choose  what  branch  of  farming  he 
will  follow :  whether  it  will  please  him  to  raise  grains, 
hay,  fruit,  vegetables,  or  make  butter  and  cheese. 

Very  many  of  the  coast  streams  empty  into  bays  of 
their  own.  At  the  mouth  of  the  Coquille  and  Rogue 
rivers  are  harbors,  which  have  been  used  to  some  ex- 
tent by  small  vessels — while  Coos  Bay  is  the  leading 
sea-port  for  Southern  Oregon.  Mean  low-water  on  the 
bar  is  eleven  feet ;  high-water,  sixteen  feet  seven  inches. 
Umpqua  Bay  is  more  of  an  open  roadstead  than  Coos  ; 
but  furnishes  a  very  good  harbor,  with  thirteen  feet  on 
the  bar,  at  mean  low -water ;  and  nineteen  feet,  high- 
water. 

The  Alseya  River  forms  a  small  bay  at  its  mouth, 
which  is  not  much  used.  Yaquina  Bay,  however,  is 
quite  an  important  port,  where  vessels  from  San  Fran- 
cisco come  to  load  with  lumber  and  oysters.  It  has  a 
straight  entrance,  half  a  mile  wide,  with  fourteen  feet 
of  water  on  the  bar  at  low- tide.  The  name,  Yaquina, 
signifying  everyichere,  describes  the  shape  of  the  bay, 
however,  when  once  inside.  It  meanders  about  for 
nine  miles,  having  no  less  than  three  settlements  along 


226  OREGON   AND  WASHINGTON. 

its  shores.  Newport,  the  principal  one,  is  located  on 
the  north  side  of  the  bay,  on  the  site  of  an  old  Indian 
town — the  site  being  marked  by  the  holes  in  the  ground 
where  stood  the  ancient  wigwams,  and  by  piles  of  oys- 
ter-shells, showing  how  the  tenants  of  these  primitive 
dwellings  lived.  At  the  head  of  the  bay  is  Elk  City, 
the  terminus  of  the  Corvallis  wagon -road,  which  passes 
through  a  low  gap  in  the  mountains  formed  by  the  val- 
leys of  two  streams,  one  entering  Yaquina  Bay  and  the 
other  the  Wallamet  River.  On  the  Newport  Hills,  on 
the  north  side  of  the  baj^  is  a  third-class  light ;  and 
on  Cape  Foulweather,  still  farther  north,  a  light  of  the 
first  class.  On  the  south  beach  is  a  strip  of  sandy 
plains,  covered  with  a  scattering  growth  of  pines, 
which  are  singularly  dwarfed,  bearing  cones  when  not 
more  than  two  feet  high. 

The  Siletz  River  is  a  large  and  rapid  stream,  with  a 
valley  of  considerable  extent,  in  which  is  an  Indian 
Reservation.  It  is  principally  timbered  land,  with  a 
soil  of  black  muck.  The  tribes  gathered  on  the  res- 
ervation are  remnants  of  nearly  all  the  tribes  of  West- 
ern Oregon,  from  the  Columbia  to  the  southern 
boundary  of  the  State.  They  are  tolerably  well  taught 
in  agriculture,  and  seem  desirous  of  attaining  to  a 
higher  civilization.  Tillamook  Bay,  like  Yaquina  Bay, 
is  the  outlet  of  a  river  of  the  same  name.  It  is  a  good 
harbor,  with  sufficient  depth  of  water  on  the  bar  for 
the  passage  of  light-draught  vessels.  Tillamook  County, 
in  which  this  bay  is  situated,  extends  from  Benton 
County  on  the  south,  to  Clatsop  County  on  the  north  ; 
and  has  five  small  rivers,  flowing  from  the  mountains 
to  the  sea.  Its  population  is  only  about  four  hundred  ; 
and  its  business  is  confined  principally  to  lumbering 
and  fishing.     It  has  two  saw-mills  and  two  grist-mills. 


THE   COAST   COUNTRY.  227 

A  large  area  of  land  belongs  to  tliis  county,  probably 
1,280,000  acres  ;  of  which  the  greater  part  is  covered 
with  timber.  The  small  valleys  we  have  mentioned, 
and  slopes  of  many  of  the  timbered  ridges,  furnish  a 
fair  proportion  of  arable  land. 

The  Nehalera  River,  which  forms  the  boundary  be- 
tween Tillamook  and  Clatsop  counties,  although  pos- 
sessing no  harbor  at  its  entrance,  has  one  of  the  most 
important  valleys  on  the  coast.  This  river  rises  in  the 
Coast  Mountains,  far  to  the  cast,  and  flows  through 
them,  by  long  meanderings,  to  the  sea,  having  its 
mouth  only  a  few  miles  north  of  Tillamook  Bay.  For 
twenty  miles  back  from  the  ocean  the  country  along 
the  Nehalem  is  broken  ;  but  at  this  distance  the  valley 
opens  out,  from  half  a  mile  to  a  mile  and  a  half  in 
width,  and  continues  of  this  breadth  for  forty  or  fifty 
miles.  The  soil  is  a  sandy  loam,  very  warm  and  fer- 
tile. On  each  side  of  this  valley,  or  bottom-land,  the 
country  rises  with  a  gentle  slope,  far  back,  and  is  cov- 
ered with  a  fine  growth  of  the  best  timber  ;  the  forest 
being  little  obstructed  by  undergrowth.  The  soil  of 
the  timbered  land  is  also  a  rich  black  loam,  of  great 
depth,  which  will  make  fine  farms,  when  cleared  of  the 
timber.  The  Nehalem  country  is  attracting  much  at- 
tention ;  and  although  still  iinsurveyed,  is  rapidly  be- 
ing taken  up  by  settlers. 

Clatsop  County  we  have  already  described  m  an 
early  chapter.  To  sum  up  the  coast  country  of  Ore- 
gon :  it  is  a  narrow  strip  of  country  along  the  sea,  often 
intersected  by  small  rivers,  some  of  them  with  bays 
of  a  large  size,  suitable  for  harbors ;  and  all  ot  them 
with  some  excellent  bottom-lands  back  between  the 
ridges.  The  bottom-lands  are  generally  covered  with 
a  growth  of  alder,  cherry,  vine -maple,  and  kindred 


228  OREGON   AND   "WASHINGTON. 

small  trees ;  while  the  slopes  of  the  mountains,  and 
even  the  highest  ridges,  are  heavily  timbered.  The 
soil  is  excellent,  though  generally  too  cold,  when  taken 
together  with  the  moisture  of  the  climate,  for  pro- 
ducing and  ripening  the  cereals,  and  tender  fruits  ;  but 
very  productive  in  all  kinds  of  grasses,  roots,  hardy 
vegetables,  and  fruits — such  as  apples,  pears,  plums, 
and  cherries. 

It  is  an  excellent  country  for  lumbering,  wherever 
there  is  communication  with  a  market.  The  streams 
abound  with  speckled  trout ;  the  bays  and  inlets  with 
salmon,  and  different  kinds  of  fish  ;  as  well  as  oysters 
and  clams.  Game  of  every  variety  is  plentiful  in  the 
mountains  and  valleys.  Coal,  iron,  copper,  and  gold, 
one  or  all,  are  found  in  every  county.  Owing  to  ex- 
tensive fires,  which  swept  over  the  Coast  Range  in 
1847,  from  Tillamook  to  Umpqua,  a  large  portion  of 
the  timbered  hills  are  comparatively  easy  to  clear.  Of 
the  numerous  rivers  of  clear,  cold  water,  several  are 
navigable  for  small  boats,  such  as  run  on  Yaquina, 
Tillamook  and  Coos  bays.  In  short,  the  coast  coun- 
ties are  capable  of  supporting  a  large  population  of 
mining,  lumbering,  stock-raising,  dairying,  fishing,  and 
farming  peoples. 

The  climate  of  the  coast  is  extremely  healthful,  from 
the  evenness  of  its  temperature,  freedom  from  miasma, 
and  invigorating  sea -air.  The  height  of  the  Coast 
Range  varies  from  two  thousand  to  five  thousand  feet ; 
and  the  wall  thus  interposed  intercepts  most  of  the 
fogs  of  summer,  causing  them  to  be  precipitated  upon 
these  hills  and  valleys  of  the  west  side — the  result  be- 
ing coolness  and  moisture  :  yet,  when  winter  comes, 
sometimes  with  rigor,  to  the  interior,  the  same  causes 
operate  to  keep  the  coast  of  a  milder  degree  of  cold. 


THE   COAST   COUNTRY.  229 

To  be  convinced  of  the  prodigal  wealth  of  the  soil 
and  mildness  of  the  climate,  we  have  only  to  visit  any 
of  the  small  valleys  about  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia 
River,  and  find  ourselves  lost  as  in  a  forest,  in  thickets 
of  ferns  and  wild  berries ;  while  the  trees  that  tower 
above  us  two  hundred  feet  have  trunks  eight  feet  in 
thickness.  Of  the  scenery  of  a  country  which  com- 
bines sea,  mountains,  forests,  valleys,  and  rapid  rivers, 
we  need  not  speak.  The  imagination  has  ample  scope 
here ;  but  its  variety  could  never  surpass  the  infinite 
variety  of  the  scenes  furnished  by  Nature's  never-end- 
ins  new  combinations. 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

FROM   THE   COLIBIBIA   TO   THE   SOUND. 

Supposing  the  tourist  to  have  arrived  in  Oregon  by 
the  usual  routes  of  sea  or  overland  travel,  he  is  sure 
to  be  carried  to  Portland  ;  from  which  point  radiation 
to  all  other  parts  of  the  north-west  commences.  We 
take  a  steamer  at  that  place,  and  retrace  our  course  to 
the  Cowlitz  River ;  taking  six  hours  for  the  voyage, 
whioh  ends  at  Monticello,  in  time  for  a  one -o'clock 
dinner.  Here  we  find  one  or  more  stages  waiting  to 
convey  mails  and  passengers  to  Olympia  ;  and  if  com- 
petition be  strong,  for  very  cheap  fares.  Our  stage 
on  this  occasion,  is  a  long,  light,  open  wagon,  well 
loaded  down  with  mail  matter  before  we  take  our  seats. 
The  first  six  miles  are  along  the  river-bank,  in  sand  and 
dust,  with  very  little  open  country  in  sight;  this  portion 
of  the  Cowlitz  Valley  being  of  no  great  extent.  Then 
commences  the  crossing  of  the  Cowlitz  Mountains. 

What  strikes  us  most  in  this  drive,  are  the  magnifi- 
cence of  the  timber  on  the  mountain,  and  the  rough- 
ness of  the  country  for  a  highway.  In  this  July 
weather  it  is  well  enough,  jolting  through  the  forest, 
over  roots  of  giant  trees,  and  into  hollows  between 
them  ;  but,  in  the  rainy  season,  it  is  a  different  under- 
taking. However,  the  North  Pacific  Railroad  is  to 
cure  this  evil,  in  another  year,  perhaps.  We  are  glad 
that  for  once  we  had  to  come  this  way.  Such  a  forest 
as  this  is  something  to  remember  having  seen  ;  and 


FROM  THE  COLUMBIA  TO  THE  SOUND.       231 

fills  completely  our  conccption  of  solemn  and  stupen- 
dous grandeur.  Fir  and  cedar  are  the  principal  trees. 
They  stand  thickly  upon  the  ground  ;  are  as  straight  as 
Ionian  columns ;  so  high  that  it  is  an  effort  to  look  to 
the  tops  of  them  ;  and  so  large  that  their  diameter  cor- 
responds admirably  to  their  height.  If  there  is  any 
thing  in  Nature  for  which  we  have  a  love  resembling 
love  to  human  creatures,  it  is  for  a  fine  tree.  The  god 
Pan,  and  the  old  Druidical  religion,  are  intelligible  to 
us,  as  expressions  of  the  soul  struggling  "through 
Nature  up  to  Nature's  God;"  and  as  a  religion  free 
from  arrogance,  and  the  temptation  to  build  upon  itself 
worldly  ambitions,  recommends  itself  even  in  the  nine- 
teenth century.  A  lover  of  the  woods  must  enjoy  this 
drive,  as  we  did,  both  in  an  esthetical  and  religious 
point  of  view. 

It  is  quite  natural  in  such  profound  solitudes  to  look 
for  some  of  its  most  distinguished  inhabitants  ;  but 
our  desire  to  meet  a  cougar,  or  a  brown  bear,  is  not 
gratified.  Only  the  gray  hare,  and  the  grouse  and 
quail,  cross  our  road.  These  seem  not  the  least  to  mind 
us ;  evidently  unacquainted  with  the  sanguinary  dis- 
position of  man,  and  so  audaciously  familiar  as  to  pro- 
voke an  uprising  of  the  lordly  thirst  for  killing.  The 
weather  is  fine,  the  mountain  air  and  balsamic  odors 
tonic  and  delightful.  Altogether  we  are  in  the  best  of 
spirits  for  two-thirds  the  distance  to  the  night  station. 
Then  growing  well  acquainted  with  the  scenery  about 
us,  we  begin  to  demand  fresh  excitement,  and  are  rather 
glad  that  there  is  a  prospect  of  breaking  down,  which 
requires  us  to  do  some  walking  and  some  wagon-mend- 
ing ;  so  that  we  arrive  at  the  crossing  of  Aliquot  Creek 
about  dark,  and  take  lodgings  at  Pumphrey's,  on  the 
farther  side. 


232  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON^ 

Pumphrey's  Landing  is  at  the  head  of  navigation  on 
the  Cowlitz.  Until  the  middle  of  July  a  small  steamer 
ran  up  to  this  point,  but  is  now  discontinued  until  a 
return  of  high -water.  It  is  from  here  that  canoe  pas- 
sage is  taken  down  stream  to  Monticello — an  exciting 
and  pleasant  excursion — the  river  being  very  rapid, 
and  the  Indians  very  expert. 

We  are  on  the  road  again  by  day -break,  crossing 
Pumphrey's  Mountain  before  breakfast.  The  road,  in 
all  respects,  resembles  that  of  the  day  previous.  The 
morning  is  quite  cool,  although  it  is  July  weather,  and 
the  blazing,  open  fire  which  welcomes  us  at  McDonald's, 
gives  the  most  cheering  impression.  Here  we  obtain  a 
substantial  breakfast,  and  have  time  to  admire  the  com- 
fortable, home-like  appearance  of  this  isolated  station. 

Our  road  now  lies  across  McDonald's  Prairie,  from 
which  we  catch  the  first  real  view  of  Mount  Rainier, 
the  grandest  snow  -  peak  of  the  Cascade  Range  ;  which 
fact  it  pains  us  to  admit,  because  we  had  taken  Mount 
Hood  to  be  the  highest,  and  even  maintained  its  pre- 
tensions over  Mount  Shasta,  its  California  rival.  But 
our  eyes  convince  us  that  Rainier  is  chief  among  the 
snow -peaks,  and  altogether  lovely.  Measurement 
makes  it  just  four  feet  higher  than  Shasta — so  the 
North  has  the  champion  mountain,  after  all.  The 
lights  and  shades  upon  it,  as  we  catch  frequent  glimpses 
during  the  day,  are  beautiful  beyond  criticism. 

There  is  very  little  good  farming  land  along  the  line 
of  the  road.  Where  there  is  not  a  thick  growth  of  forest, 
the  intermediate  prairies  are  gravelly,  making  excellent 
driving,  but  poor  farming.  Occasionally,  where  there 
is  a  small  piece  of  valley  land,  it  is  of  the  richest  de- 
scription. The  grass  that  is  being  cut  in  some  of  these 
little  valleys  is  the  heaviest  we  ever  saw. 


FROM  THE  COLUMBIA  TO  THE  SOUND.       233 

At  the  first  crossing  of  the  Chehalis  River  is  the 
pretty  village  of  Claquato,  which  makes  us  wonder 
how  it  got  there,  so  isolated  it  seems  from  the  outside 
world.  Its  buildings,  gardens,  and  orchards  have  a 
truly  comfortable,  even  charming,  appearance ;  and 
the  sign,  "Claquato  Academy,"  upon  the  front  of  a 
good -sized  frame -building,  inspires  us  with  respect 
for  this  isolated  community.  Altogether,  it  produces 
a  most  favorable  impression  —  suggesting  numerous 
quotations  from  the  poets,  who,  we  recollect  with  a 
sigh,  are  not,  after  all,  very  reliable  real -estate  agents. 

The  Chehalis,  near  here,  receives  the  waters  of  the 
Newaukum,  a  small  river  heading  in  the  foot-hills  of 
the  Cascades.  The  valley  of  the  Nowaukum,  together 
with  that  of  the  Chehalis,  above  the  junction,  afford 
from  fifty  to  seventy -five  thousand  acres  of  the  best 
of  farming  land  ;  Lewis  County,  which  contains  them, 
being  one  of  the  best  agricultural  counties  in  the 
Territory.  In  the  Chehalis  Valley  is  a  cedar -tree,  we 
are  told,  measuring  twenty -one  feet  in  diameter  six 
feet  from  the  ground,  and  is  estimated  to  be  250  feet 
to  the  first  limbs. 

"We  get  our  last  coupon  of  rough  road  just  beyond 
Claquato,  a  few  miles  of  which  brings  us  to  the  second 
crossing  of  the  Chehalis,  at  its  junction  with  the 
Skookum  Chuck  ("  strong  water"),  another  pretty  spot, 
where  we  dine.  Not  more  than  three  miles  from  here, 
is  a  fallen  tree  three  feet  in  diameter  at  the  butt,  and 
290  in  length.  Another  tree,  in  an  adjoining  county, 
measures  eleven  feet  in  diameter,  and  310  in  length, 
and  we  hear  of  two  more  being  fourteen  feet  in  thick- 
ness ;  which  is  pretty  well  for  firs  and  cedars.  From 
Skookum  Chuck  to  Olympia,  is  a  fifteen -mile  drive 
over  gravelly  prairies,  separated  by  wooded  sections. 

16 


234  OREGON   AND    WASHINGTON. 

The  Grand  Mound  Prairie  is  interesting  from  the 
number  and  regularity  of  the  mounds,  which  are  twc 
or  two  and  a  half  feet  high,  and  as  close  together 
as  potato -hills  in  a  field.  Various  theories  of  their 
origin  have  been  assigned,  but  the  satisfactory  one  has 
not  yet  been  suggested. 

The  entrance  to  Olympia  is  through  a  belt  of  mag- 
nificent trees,  four  or  five  miles  wide.  Just  at  the 
head  of  the  sound,  where  the  Des  Chutes  River  falls 
into  it,  is  a  little,  lumbering  village  called  Tumwater, 
with  a  saw -mill,  flouring -mill,  and  tannery.  The 
falls  of  the  Des  Chutes  are  very  pretty  ;  but  their 
beauty  will  ultimately  be  hidden  by  all  manner  of 
mills,  which  will  be  made  to  avail  themselves  of  this 
fine  water-power.  We  observe,  concerning  names, 
that  the  river  retains  its  French  name  for  falls,  and 
the  town  its  Indian  name  for  the  same  thing.  Passing 
through  Tumwater,  which  is  but  a  suburb  of  Olympia, 
we  soon  find  ourselves  in  the  streets  of  this  classically 
denominated  capital. 

Olympia  depends  upon  its  location  for  its  claim  to 
beauty.  Like  all  towns  hewn  out  of  the  forest,  it  has 
a  certain  roughness  of  aspect,  caused  by  stumps,  fallen 
timber,  and  burnt,  unfallen  trees.  But  it  has  decidedly 
an  air  of  home -comfort  and  cheerfulness,  with  snug 
residences,  good  sidewalks,  and,  to  us,  the  singular 
charm  of  long  bridges^  and  spacious  wharves.  To  be 
suspended  over  water  on  a  l)ridge,  a  long  one,  was 
always  to  us  more  fascinating  than  boating.  To  be  at 
rest  over  the  ever -restless  water,  and  gaze  upon  its 
cheerfulness,  and  dream  !  In  Olympia,  we  can  do  this, 
when  the  tide  is  in.  When  it  is  out,  we  can  interest 
ourselves  in  watching  the  millions  of  squirming  things 
the  receding  flood  leaves  in  the  oozy  mud.     Standing 


FROM  THE   COLUMBIA   TO   THE   SOUND.  235 

on  the  long  bridge,  too,  we  can  gaze  upon  the  distant 
Olympian  Range — the  most  aerial  mountain  view  in 
America. 

The  following  is  the  history  of  Olympia  in  brief,  as 
furnished  by  one  of  its  citizens:  "The  land  claim  on 
which  is  situated  the  town  of  Olympia  was  settled  on 
by  Mr.  Edward  Sylvester,  in  the  year  1845.  At  that 
time  the  whole  Puget  Sound  country  was  a  perfect 
wilderness,  excepting  the  settlements  of  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company  at  Nisqually,  then  in  charge  of  Dr.  W. 
F.  Tolmie,  and  a  few  pioneer  settlers  at  Tumwater  and 
the  prairies  south  of  Olympia,  who  came  in  the  year 
before.  Mr.  Sylvester  resided  here  three  years  alone, 
and  in  1849  went  to  the  gold-mines  in  California.  Re- 
turning early  in  1850,  he  found  several  new-comers, 
among  whom  were  three  or  four  families,  and  shortly 
after  his  return  he  had  the  town  surveyed  and  laid  out. 
One  or  two  stores  were  soon  started,  which  supplied 
several  lumbering  camps,  and  the  brig  G.  W.  Kendall, 
Captain  A.  B.  Gove,  was  placed  on  the  route  between 
Olympia  and  San  Francisco,  and  a  profitable  business 
started  in  furnishing  the  California  market  with  spars 
and  piles.  A  large  village  of  Indians  was  situated 
along  the  bank  of  the  bay,  on  the  west  side  of  the 
town.  The  road  to  Tumwater  was  not  open  until  1852, 
and  the  first  bridge  was  finished  the  succeeding  winter. 
All  the  other  roads  and  bridges  were  later  undertak- 
ings. The  Custom-house  District  was  organized  at 
Olympia  November  10,  1851  —  S.  P.  Moses,  Collector. 
A  weekly  mail  (horseback  and  canoe)  service  from  the 
Columbia  River,  was  first  established  in  1852 — Messrs. 
Yantis  and  Rabbeson,  contractors.  The  Down -Sound 
mails  were  first  carried  in  1854  by  the  steamer  Major 
Tompkins,  Captain  J.  S.  Hunt  j  the  same  steamer  was 


236  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

shortly  after  wrecked  while  going  into  Victoria  harbor, 
and  she  was  succeeded  for  the  two  years  following  by 
the  steamer  IVavder^  Captain  J.  G.  Parker.  The  first 
newspaper — The  Columbian — printed  north  of  the  Co- 
lumbia River,  was  issued  on  the  11th  of  September, 
1852,  at  Olympia,  by  Messrs.  Wiley  &  McElroy.  The 
Methodist  denomination  had  a  resident  preacher  at  that 
time,  but  the  French  Catholics  built  the  first  church, 
in  1852.  The  first  school -house  was  built  in  1853, 
the  same  being  constructed  at  the  expense  of,  and 
through  the  enterprise  of,  the  ladies.  The  first  wharf 
was  built  in  1-854,  by  Mr.  Edward  Giddings.  The 
present  site  remains  the  landing  of  the  ocean  and  Sound 
steamers.  In  the  fall  of  1853,  General  I.  I.  Stevens — 
then  recently  appointed  Governor  of  Washington  Ter- 
ritory and  Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs — arrived 
overland  with  his  party  of  surveyors  and  engineers, 
then  in  the  interest  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad 
Company.  In  1853,  Olympia  was  made  the  capital  of 
Washington  Territory." 

Olympia,  besides  being  the  capital  of  the  Territory, 
and  county-seat  of  Thurston  County,  has  a  most  favora- 
ble location  with  respect  to  the  rest  of  the  Territory, 
being  at  the  head  of  the  Sound,  at  a  point  nearest  the 
Columbia  River  and  Gray's  Harbor,  and  about  equi- 
distant from  all  the  principal  valleys  in  Western  Wash- 
ington. It  has  also  great  advantages  in  the  wa}'-  of 
water-power  that  is  contiguous  to  tide -water.  The 
falls  of  the  Dcs  Chutes  furnish,  alone,  a  1,600 -horse 
power,  at  the  lowest  stage  of  water,  and  may  be  made 
to  furnish  much  more  at  a  slight  expense  in  conducting 
water  from  the  Nisqually  River.  Another  stream, 
Pcrcival's  Creek,  is  capable  of  being  made  a  water- 
power  almost  equal  to  the  Des  Chutes,  by  cutting  half 


FROM  THE  COLUMBIA  TO  THE  SOUND.       237 

a  mile  of  ditcliing ;  the  same  drainage  reclaiming 
twenty  thousand  acres  of  the  best  grass  lands.  A 
comparatively  small  expense  would  build  a  dock  at 
Olympia,  covering  1,800  acres,  in  which  vessels  could 
be  kept  afloat  when  the  tide  is  out ;  and  such  a  dock 
will  no  doubt  be  built  before  long,  whether  or  not  this 
city  becomes — what,  of  course,  it  aspires  to  be — the 
terminus  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad.  The  popu- 
lation of  Olympia  is  about  thirteen  hundred. 

Western  Washington,  unlike  Western  Oregon,  has 
no  chief  river,  with  its  numerous  tributaries,  draining 
a  great  valley  ;  but  it  has,  nevertheless,  its  central  body 
of  water,  into  which  flow  frequent  small  rivers,  drain- 
ing the  Puget  Sound  Basin,  which  is  bounded,  like  the 
Wallamet  Valley,  b}^  the  Cascade  and  Coast  ranges,  on 
the  east  and  west,  and  by  their  intermingling  spurs  on 
the  south.  These  rivers,  unlike  those  of  Oregon,  are 
all  aff*ected  by  the  ebb  and  flow  of  the  tides  ;  and  have 
their  lowest  bottom-lands  overflowed.  The  Sound 
itself  is  not  one  simple  great  inlet  of  the  sea ;  but  is 
an  indescribably  tortuous  body  of  water,  which  is  not 
even  a  sound  ;  being  too  deep  for  soundings,  in  some 
of  its  narrowest  parts.  So  eccentric  are  its  meander- 
ings  that  the  whole  county  of  Kitsap  is  inclosed  so 
nearly  in  the  embraces  of  its-  several  long  arms,  as 
very  narrowly  to  escape  being  an  island. 

That  particular  arm  of  the  Sound  upon  which  Olym- 
pia is  situated  is  six  miles  in  length  by  from  one  to 
one  and  a  half  miles  in  width  ;  narrowing  to  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  when  opposite  the  town.  At  low -tide  the 
water  recedes  entirely  at  this  point,  leaving  a  mud  flat 
all  the  way  from  here  to  Tumwater,  a  mile  and  a  half 
south.  The  mean  rise  and  fall  of  the  tide  is  a  little 
over  nine  feet ;  the  greatest  difference  between  the 


238  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

highest  and  lowest  tides,  twenty -four  feet.  Vessels 
come  in  on  the  tide,  and  lie  in  the  mud  to  discharge  ; 
going  out  again  on  the  high -tide.  The  construction 
of  a  dock  would  give  them  water  to  lie  in  of  any  suffi- 
cient depth. 

The  land  adjacent  to  this  inlet  is  considerably  ele- 
vated along  the  shore,  and  rises  yet  higher  at  a  little 
distance  back,  being  level,  however,  in  some  places. 
The  same  general  shape  of  country  surrounds  the  whole 
Sound,  the  land  having  a  general  rise  back  from  it  for 
some  distance.  This,  of  course,  must  be  the  case, 
where  a  basin  exists  of  the  character  of  this  one. 
That  portion  of  it  which  lies  adjacent  to  the  Sound 
possesses  a  porous,  gravelly  soil ;  nevertheless,  heavily 
timbered  with  trees  of  immense  size.  This  belt  of 
timber  is  several  miles  in  width.  The  roads  through 
it,  and  across  the  small  prairies  which  lie  on  its  out- 
skirts, are  all  that  could  be  desired  in  the  way  of  nat- 
ural McAdam,  and  furnish  delightful  driving.  One 
thing  we  observed  regarding  these  beautiful  prairie 
spots,  was,  that  along  their  edges,  where  they  receive 
the  yearly  accession  to  their  soil  of  the  leaf  mold  of 
the  forest,  the  orchards  and  gardens  looked  very 
thrifty ;  and  also  that  wherever  there  was  a  piece  of 
bottom-land,  on  any  small  stream,  the  hay -crop  was 
the  heaviest  we  had  ever  seen. 

About  ten  miles  back  from  the  Sound,  on  the  east, 
the  country  commences  to  improve  ;  and  from  there 
to  the  foot-hills  of  the  Cascades  furnishes  a  good  graz- 
ing region,  with  many  fine  locations  for  farms.  The 
foot-hills  themselves  furnish  extensive  clay -loam  dis- 
tricts, suitable  for  grain-raising  ;  and  will,  when  cleared, 
become  very  valuable  farming  lands.  Around  the  base 
of  the  Coast  or  Olympian  Range,  on  the  west,  there  is 


FROM  THE  COLUMBIA  TO  THE  SOUND.       239 

also  another  large  body  of  clay-loam  land  ;  and  to  the 
south,  between  the  Chehalis  and  the  Columbia — or, 
more  properly,  between  the  Columbia  and  the  higher 
ground  which  separates  the  Columbia  Valley  from  tlie 
basin  of  the  Sound  —  there  is  a  still  larger  district 
which  may  be  converted  to  grain -raising.  But  the 
vicinity  of  the  Sound,  within  a  distance  of  from  ten 
to  twenty  miles,  affords  little  land  that  is  good  for 
grain,  except  that  of  the  river -bottoms,  and  of  that 
only  certain  portions. 

For,  as  before  noticed,  these  streams  coming  into 
the  Sound  are  affected  by  the  tides,  the  lowest  land 
being  overflowed  daily.  That  portion  of  each  valley 
which  is  free  from  submersion  furnishes  the  most  fer- 
tile soil  imaginable  for  the  production  of  every  kind 
of  grain,  fruit,  and  vegetable — if  we  except  melons, 
grapes,  and  peaches,  which,  owing  to  the  cool  nights, 
mature  less  perfectly  than  in  Eastern  Washington. 
The  valleys  of  these  small  rivers,  like  those  of  West- 
ern Oregon,  already  described,  are  covered  at  first  with 
a  rank  growth  of  moisture -loving  trees,  such  as  the 
ash,  alder,  willow,  and  poplar.  But  they  are  easily 
cleared ;  and  the  soil  is  of  that  warm,  rich  nature, 
that  it  produces  a  rapid  growth  of  every  thing  in- 
trusted to  its  bosom.  Owing  to  the  fact  that  these 
valleys  are  narrow,  and  head  in  mountains  at  no  great 
distance,  they  are  occasionally  subject  to  floods.  As 
floods  never  occur,  however,  except  in  the  rainy,  or 
winter  season,  a  proper  precaution  in  building,  and 
harvesting  his  crops,  should  insure  the  farmer  against 
loss  from  them  when  they  do  occur. 

The  rivers  which  empty  into  the  Sound  on  the  east 
side  are  the  longest,  with  the  greatest  amount  of  allu- 
vial lands.     They  are  the  Nisqually,  Puyallup,  White, 


240  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

Sikamish,  Cedar,  Snoqualmie,  Snohomish,  Stoluqua- 
niish,  Skagitt,  and  Nooksahk.  Several  of  these  have 
two  or  more  branches  of  about  equal  importance,  and 
all  of  them  are  navigable  for  certain  distances ;  the 
.^kagitt  for  a  distance  of  fifty  miles.  This  last-named 
river  rises  far  to  the  north-east,  in  British  America, 
iind  flows  through  mountain  gorges  for  long  distances, 
like  the  Columbia  and  Frazer  rivers.  Everywhere  in 
the  neighborhood  of  these  rivers,  and  the  Sound,  is 
timber  of  excellent  quality  for  lumbering,  and  in  great 
quantities.  The  streams  flowing  into  the  Sound  from 
the  west  are  in  all  respects  similar  to  those  on  the  east 
side,  except  that  they  are  shorter,  and  have  less  bot- 
tom-land. They  rise  in  the  Olympian  Range,  and  have 
but  a  short  distance  to  flow  to  reach  their  outlet. 

With  regard  to  the  great  business  of  the  Sound — lum- 
bering—  so  much  has  been  written,  that  more  seems 
superfluous.  In  a  chapter  on  Forests,  we  shall  give  a 
full  account  of  the  timbered  lands  both  of  Oregon  and 
"Washington,  together  with  the  amount  of  lumber  annu- 
ally produced.  It  is  unnecessary  to  say  more  in  this 
place,  than  that  the  shore-line  of  the  Sound  is  over  six- 
teen hundred  miles  in  length ;  and  that  its  shores  every- 
where are  heavily  timbered,  except  where  fires  have, 
in  some  places,  ruined  the  timber.  Leaving  out  all 
burnt  and  unsuitable  timber,  the  amount  is  still  enor- 
mous which  is  excellent  for  lumbering,  and  easily 
reached.  Milling  companies  buy  logs  at  $4.50  per  M. 
— the  loggers  having  but  short  distances  to  go,  and 
every  fticility  for  hauling  at  a  trifling  expense ;  nor  will 
they  work  a  piece  of  timbered  land  producing  less  than 
thirty  thousand  feet  per  acre — the  more  common  yield 
being  twice  or  thrice  that  amount.  Water-power  is 
commonly  used  only  in  the  small  mills,  all  the  large 


FROM  THE  COLUMBIA  TO  THE  SOUND.       241 

exporting  establishments  using  steam.  Of  these  large 
establishments,  there  are  sixteen  in  Western  Washing- 
ton, fourteen  of  them  being  on  the  Sound. 

Although  fishing,  as  a  business,  has  not  yet  re- 
ceived that  attention  on  the  Sound  which  it  has  on  the 
Columbia  River,  it  should,  in  the  near  future,  become 
a  large  and  profitable  trade.  Nor  would  the  curing  of 
fish  be  confined  to  salmon  alone,  as  on  the  Columbia 
it  now  is.  Cod  are  taken  in  the  Sound,  and  all  along 
the  coast  to  the  north.  Vessels  are  already  running 
from  the  Sound  to  the  fishing -grounds  in  the  Russian 
seas,  and  off  the  coast  of  Alaska  ;  and  others  are  yearly 
being  built  for  this  trade.  They  are  brought  to  the 
more  favorable  climate  of  the  Sound  to  be  cured  ;  and 
the  finest  cod  ever  put  up  on  the  Pacific  Coast  have 
been  cured  in  Washington  Territory. 

A  fish  for  which  the  Sound  is  somewhat  celebrated, 
is  the  UulacJion — a  small,  but  good-flavored  fish,  of  so 
oily  a  nature  that  the  Indians  dry  it  to  burn  for  torches: 
hence  it  has  also  been  called  the  candle- fish.  The 
experiment  of  expressing  oil  from  the  dog-fish,  for 
commerce,  has  lately  been  tried,  we  hear,  with  favora- 
ble results.  The  oil  sells  readily  for  fifty  cents  a  gal- 
lon to  the  millmen,  as  machine -oil.  Halibut  is  com- 
mon in  the  Strait  of  Juan  de  Fuca,  and  all  along  up  the 
Gulf  of  Georgia,  and  beyond,  through  the  whole  ex- 
tent of  those  continuous  sounds  by  which  the  North- 
west Coast  is  slashed  in  every  direction.  Other  kinds 
of  fish,  good  for  the  table  at  stated  seasons,  abound  in 
the  waters  of  the  Sound  and  its  tributaries — such  as 
smelt,  sardine,  oysters,  and  clams.  The  speckled  trout 
is  taken  in  every  mountain  stream,  above  the  reach  of 
tide  -  water. 

We  notice  in  Olympia   how  abundant  are  berries, 


242  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

both  wild  and  cultivated — the  blackberry  season,  in 
particular,  being  at  its  height.  All  manner  of  small 
fruits  seem  abundant,  and  flowers  and  vegetables  "a 
drug  in  the  market."  New  as  the  country  is,  people 
seem  to  live  well,  dress  well,  talk  well ;  and  are  plan- 
ning a  new  empire — and  all  without  any  great  or  ex- 
hausting effort. 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

DOWN   THE  -SOUND. 

We  start  down  the  Sound  on  an  elegant  steamer, 
called  the  Ohjmpia^  very  early  in  the  morning,  in  order 
to  avail  ourselves  of  the  tide.  It  is  too  early  to  allow 
us  to  study  the  views  which  daylight  affords  ;  but  wo 
feel  assured  that  blue  water,  wooded  headlands,  and 
fair  skies  make  up  the  panorama,  and  that  the  picture 
will  be  continued  indefinitely  throughout  the  day. 
Steilacoom  is  the  first  place  of  any  importance  we 
come  to,  and  is  really  in  a  most  beautiful  location  ; 
being  situated  at  the  south  end  of  the  "Narrows,"  on 
a  high,  gravelly  prairie,  diversified  with  groves  of  fine 
timber,  and  gemmed  here  and  there  with  small,  clear 
lakes,  bordered  by  a  scattering  growth  of  round- 
topped  oak  -  trees.  The  scenery  is  unusually  fine 
about  Steilacoom,  four  snow -peaks  being  in  view — 
Rainier,  St.  Helen,  Adams,  and  Hood.  It  is  said  the 
finest  view  of  Rainier  to  be  obtained  anywhere  on  the 
Sound,  is  to  be  had  at  this  point.  The  Olympian 
Range  across  the  Sound,  is  another  fine  feature  of  the 
landscape  ;  while  the  Sound  itself,  together  with  the 
forests  and  valleys  in  sight  from  here,  furnish  a  middle 
ground  of  great  beauty. 

The  harbor  at  this  place  is  a  fine  one,*  with  plenty  of 
water,  and  good  anchorage.  Steilacoom  Creek  furnishes 
a  water-power  which  runs  a  flouring -mill  and  woolen 
mill,  with  plenty  to    spare   for   other   manufacturing 


244  OREGON    AND   WASHINGTON. 

purposes  ;  being  the  outlet  of  a  lake  situated  two  hun- 
dred feet  higher,  and  only  four  miles  distant.  Springs 
also  abound  in  the  same  neighborhood,  some  of  them 
large  enough  to  run  the  machinery  of  a  mill.  Little 
more  than  a  mile  to  the  east  is  old  Fort  Steilacoom, 
now  abandoned.  In  the  building  once  used  as  officers' 
quarters,  the  insane  of  the  Territory  are  now  confined, 
having  been  recently  removed  from  Monticello.  If  a 
healthful  location  and  pleasant  surroundings  can  have 
any  effect  to  "medicine  a  mind  diseased,"  the-  location 
of  the  Asylum  for  the  Insane  is  admirably  chosen  in 
this  instance.  The  Penitentiary  is  also  located  at 
Steilacoom,  but  not  on  the  main -land,  a  small  island 
being  devoted  to  this  institution. 

Steilacoom  has  only  three  hundred  inhabitants,  and 
is  possessed  of  three  churches  and  two  school -houses. 
A  boarding-school  for  girls  is  kept  by  the  Sisters  of 
Charity.  The  Masons,  also,  have  a  hall ;  the  other 
public  buildings  being  a  Court-house  and  Jail — the 
latter  built  of  brick,  and  very  substantial.  From 
Steilacoom  east,  via  the  Nachess  Pass,  to  Wallula,  on 
the  Columbia  River,  is  225  miles.  The  altitude  of  this 
pass  is  3,467  feet ;  but  was  opened  and  used  as  an  emi- 
grant road  in  1853,  and  had  $20,000  expended  on  it 
by  the  Government,  in  1854.  It  is  now,  however,  so 
blocked  up  by  fallen  timber  as  to  be  impassable  for 
wagons.  A  recent  discovery  of  valuable  iron -ore  on 
the  Puyallup  River,  about  fifteen  miles  from  Steila- 
coom, has  given  additional  importance  to  this  place  as 
a  manufacturing  point.  Opposite  to  Steilacoom,  on  a 
small  inlet,  is  an  establishment  for  manufacturing  oil 
from  the  dog-fish,  before  spoken  of.  This  establish- 
ment is  owned  by  Col.  Pardee,  an  enterprising  gentle- 
man from  New  Haven,  Ct. 


DOWN   THE   SOUND. 


245 


Leaving  Stcilacoom,  we  steam  up  the  "Narrows" — a 
strait  four  miles  long  by  one  in  width,  through  which 
the  water  runs  with  great  force  at  the  ebb  and  flow  of 
the  tide — and  pass  by  Point  Defiance,  a  high  bluff  on 
which  defensive  fortifications  may,  at  some  future  time, 
be  erected  by  the  Government.  A  few  miles  V)olo\v 
Point  Defiance  is  Commencement  Bay,  on  which  the 
town  of  Tacoma  is  situated — the  first  of  the  great 
lumbering  establishments  we  come  to  after  passing 
into  that  wider  portion  of  the  Sound  known  on  the 
maps  as  Admiralty  Inlet ;  Puget  Sound  being,  in  real- 
ity, only  that  portion  of  this  great  body  of  water 
south  of  the  Narrows. 

On  the  clearing  away  of  the  mists  of  early  morning 
we  find  the  air  on  the  Sound  very  bright  and  bracing. 
A  slight  breeze  just  ripples  the  blue  waters  of  this 
Mediterranean  sea  ;  the  summer  sky  is  delicately  mot- 
tled with  flecks  of  foam -white  clouds  ;  seals  sport  be- 
low ;  birds  flit  from  shore  to  shore  above  ;  a  golden 
silence,  only  broken  by  the  paddle-wheels  of  our 
steamer,  wraps  all  together  in  a  dreamy  unreality  very 
charming  to  the  tourist.  Occasionally  a  white  sail, 
gleaming  in  mid-distance,  adds  an  interest  to  the  scene ; 
while  it,  at  the  same  time,  suggests  what  these  waters 
will  in  time  resemble,  when  palaces  shall  be  reflected 
in  their  margins,  and  the  winged  messengers  of  com- 
merce shall  glide  continually  from  point  to  point  of 
these  now  fir -clad  slopes,  laden  with  the  precious  car- 
goes of  the  Orient,  making  this  northern  sea  a  second 
Bosphorus  for  beauty  and  magnificence.  ' 

Seventy -two  miles  from  Olympia,  by  steamer,  we 
come  to  Seattle,  the  most  important  commercial  town 
on  the  Sound.  It  is  situated  upon  an  inlet  six  and  a 
half  miles  long  by  two  wide,  with  a  general  direction 


246  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

of  east  by  south,  known  as  Dwamish,  or  Elliot  Bay. 
This  inlet  has  a  depth  of  water  through  the  middle, 
ranging  from  forty  to  eighty -eight  fathoms,  with  from 
ten  to  twenty  fathoms  on  the  anchoring  grounds.  It 
receives  the  waters  of  the  Dwamish  River,  a  stream 
which  has  only  a  length  of  ten  miles,  and  is  the  out- 
let merely  of  the  Black,  Green,  White,  and  Cedar  riv- 
ers ;  all  of  them  having  rich  agricultural  valleys,  mak- 
ing, in  conjunction  with  the  commerce  of  Seattle,  King 
County  the  richest  county  of  Western  Washington. 

Three  miles  immediately  east  of  Seattle  is  Lake 
Washington  (or  Dwamish),  connected  with  the  bay  by 
the  Dwamish  River.  This  lake  lies  but  eighteen  and 
a  half  feet  above  tide -water,  making  it  a  matter  of 
trifling  expense  to  open  continuous  navigation  for  small 
steamers  into  it.  On  the  borders  of  Lake  Washington, 
about  nine  miles  from  Seattle,  is  a  coal-mine  of  excel- 
lent quality,  and  inexhaustible  quantity.  A  company 
is  working  it,  who  have  barges  and  steam  -  tugs  on  the 
lake,  for  its  transportation  in  cars  to  the  tramway  which 
conducts  to  tide-water.  A  canal  is  talked  of  as  an  out- 
let to  the  lake.  Should  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment conclude  to  erect  a  naval  station  on  Lake  Wash- 
ington, as  it  may,  the  question  of  an  outlet  suitable 
for  large  vessels  will  no  longer  be  in  doubt.  Probably 
no  better  locality  for  naval  purposes  could  be  selected 
than  this ;  combining,  as  it  does,  fresh  water  of  suffi- 
cient depth,  exhaustless  supplies  of  ship-building  tim- 
ber within  easy  distance,  and  extensive  deposits  of 
coal  and  iron^ — the  latter  alone  being  distant  some 
thirty  or  forty  miles,  on  the  line  of  the  projected  rail- 
road through  the  Snoqualmic  Pass. 

This  famous  pass  is  2, GOO  feet  above  the  sea,  and 
only  sixty-one  miles,  in  an  easterly  direction,  from  Seat- 


DOWN  TnE   SOUND.  247 

tie.  It  is  on  this  ground  that  this  town  has  so  loudly 
asserted  its  claim  to  become  the  terminus  of  the  North- 
ern Pacific  Railroad — a  grade  of  eighty  feet  to  the  mile 
being  all  that  is  required  to  construct  the  road  through 
the  Cascades  from  this  point  east.  A  wagon  -  road 
is  now  open,  via  this  pass,  to  the  plains  on  the  eastern 
side  of  the  Cascade  Mountains,  and  the  Yakima  Val- 
ley. This  is  the  route  by  which  cattle  and  sheep  are 
driven  from  the  great  pastures  of  Eastern  Washington 
to  the  markets  of  the  Sound  and  Vancouver's  Island. 

Seattle  is  built  upon  the  face  of  rather  a  steep  slope ; 
IS  pleasant  and  cheerful -looking,  and  contains  about 
twelve  hundred  inhabitants.  The  Territorial  Univer- 
sity is  located  here,  and  is  a  fine  structure — so  situated 
that  it  can  be  seen  for  a  long  distance  up  and  down 
the  Sound.  Seattle  has  a  great  extent  of  wharfage, 
which  impresses  us  \vith  the  conviction  of  its  business 
capacities.  And,  indeed,  the  harbor  swarms  with  every 
description  of  water-craft,  from  the  handsome  steamer 
Olympia  and  the  tall  three-masted  lumber  ships,  to  the 
little,  wheezy  tug  and  graceful  "plunger." 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  Sound  are  Ports  Blakely 
and  Freeport ;  the  one  a  high,  round  promontory,  and 
the  other  a  long,  low  neck  of  land,  projecting  into  the 
Sound  so  as  to  form  a  small  bay  wath  the  first.  Across 
the  Sound,  and  nearly  abreast  of  Seattle,  is  Port  Madi- 
son, distant  twelve  miles,  also  situated  on  an  inlet,  so 
narrow  as  to  compel  our  steamer  to  back  out — there  be- 
ing no  room  for  "rounding  out."  All  these  ports, 
like  Seattle,  are  great  lumbering  establishments,  and 
have  each  a  village  of  from  one  to  three  hundred  peo- 
ple depending  on  the  mills  for  employment.  Probably 
one-half  the  lumbering  business  of  the  Sound  concen- 
trates within  twenty -five  or  thirty  miles  of  Seattle. 


248  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

The  hay,  vegetables,  fruits,  and  provisions  generally, 
that  are  consumed  by  the  non  -  agricultural  portion  of 
these  communities,  are  furnished  by  the  county  of 
which  Seattle  is  the  county -seat. 

Port  Madison  is  more  handsomely  situated  than 
Seattle.  It  lies  on  a  smooth  hill -side,  and  the  resi- 
dences all  have  an  air  of  cozy  comfort  quite  prepossess- 
ing. One  charming  feature  of  the  scenery  here  is  the 
magnificent  growth  of  maple -trees,  reserved  for  orna- 
ment and  shade.  Those  trees  are  as  large  in  propor- 
tion to  others  of  their  species  as  are  the  immense  firs 
of  the  Sound  to  theirs :  a  fact  which  suggests  some- 
thing with  regard  to  the  soil  bordering  the  waters  of 
Washington  Territory. 

The  Port  Madison  mill  is  one  of  the  largest  on  the 
Pacific  Coast.  It  is  334  feet  long  by  60  wide  ;  and  its 
machinery  is  propelled  by  two  engines  with  eight  forty- 
two-inch  flues.  Sixty  men  are  employed  about  the  mill, 
besides  the  many  engaged  in  logging,  rafting,  etc. 
There  are  shops  of  every  description  necessary  to  a 
complete  establishment,  including  a  foundry  and  ma- 
chine-shop. The  Company  own  six  vessels  for  trans- 
porting their  manufactured  lumber;  and  a  steam -tug 
for  towing  rafts  or  vessels,  as  required. 

Port  Gamble,  thirty  miles  farther  down  the  Sound, 
on  the  west  side  also,  is  situated  near  the  head  of 
Tukalct  Bay ;  and  is  reached  by  the  steamer  going 
fourteen  miles  out  of  her  course.  In  its  general  feat- 
ures Port  Gamble  is  not  unlike  the  other  milling  es- 
tablishments, though  it  is  perhaps  the  most  important 
in  respect  of  the  amount  of  lumber  produced.  There 
are  two  mills  at  this  place,  and  quite  a  village  of  their 
employees.  In  passing  up  tliis  inlet  we  get  a  peep  into 
that  remarkable  arm  of  the  Sound  called  Hood's  Canal, 


DOWN   THE   SOUND.  249 

which  is  between  forty  and  fifty  miles  in  extent,  yet 
whose  entrance  looks  scarcely  too  wide  for  the  passage 
of  a  ship.  On  this  narrow  strait  is  situated  Seabeck, 
another  large  lumbering  establishment ;  making  in  all 
four  of  these  great  lumber  factories,  whose  assessed 
valuation  for  1870  was  as  follows  :  Port  Blakely,  $91,- 
705  ;  Port  Madison,  $173,191  ;  Puget  Mill  Company 
(Port  Gamble),  $282,327  ;  Washington  Mill  Company 
(Seabeck),  $128,186.  Probably  the  real  value  of  the 
milling  property  in  Kitsap  County  far  exceeds  the 
figures  which  appear  on  the  assessment -roll. 

Port  Ludlow,  seven  miles  below  Port  Gamble,  and 
Port  Discovery,  ten  miles  south-west  of  Port  Town- 
send,  at  the  extremity  of  another  of  the  countless  nar- 
row bays  by  which  the  Sound  is  fringed,  are  the  most 
northern  of  the  milling  towns.  This  latter  bay  is 
twelve  miles  long,  and  opens  into  the  Sound  at  its 
junction  with  the  Strait  of  San  Juan  de  Fuca. 

Port  Townsend  is  situated  on  the  peninsula  formed 
by  Port  Discovery  Bay  on  one  side,  and  Port  Townsend 
Bay  on  the  other.  This  peninsula  is  ten  miles  long, 
and  about  three  wide.  The  shore  here  is  high  and  ab- 
rupt, without  trees,  and  shows  a  level  country  beyond. 
The  business  portion  of  the  town  is  located  on  low 
ground,  only  fairly  above  the  reach  of  the  tide,  while 
the  residences  are  nearly  all  upon  the  bluff.  Though 
the  water  is  deep,  and  there  is  plenty  of  room  in  this 
harbor,  it  is  too  much  exposed  to  winds  from  all  points 
of  the  compass  to  be  a  good  one,  or  to  compare  favora- 
bly with  very  many  others  on  the  Sound. 

This  is  the  port  of  entry  for  this  district ;  and  we 
make  quite  a  lengthened  call,  having  an  opportunity 
to  take  a  critical  look  at  the  group  of  ladies  and  gen- 
tlemen who  have  come  down  to  the  wharf  to  give  us 

17 


250  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

"hail  and  fiirowell."  And  it  must  be  testified  that 
these  people  over  on  the  Sound  are  by  no  means  in  a 
state  of  darkness  or  depression,  notwithstanding  their 
isolation  ;  but  wide-awake,  intelligent,  courteous,  and 
modish.  The  population  of  Port  Townsend  is  about 
five  hundred. 

Two  miles  and  a  half  south  -  west  of  the  town  is  the 
site  of  a  United  States  military  post,  now  abandoned. 
The  prospect  from  this  high  bluff  is  remarkably  fine. 
To  the  north-east,  and  nearly  on  the  49th  parallel,  is 
Mount  Baker,  with  its  ragged,  double  peak  fretting  the 
heavens.  Far  to  the  south-east  is  Mount  Rainier, 
the  most  beautiful  peak  of  the  northern  Andes ;  on  the 
west,  the  Olympian  Range ;  on  the  east,  Whidby's 
Island,  spread  out  like  a  garden  ;  and  across  the  straits, 
San  Juan  and  Vancouver's  islands  dimly  visible. 

Leaving  Port  Townsend,  we  soon  get  a  view  of  New 
Dungeness  Light -house  on  the  south,  and  the  San 
Juan  Archipelago  on  the  north  —  the  latter  of  which 
recalls  the  dispute  about  boundaries :  the  United 
States  claiming  that  the  English  channel  should  be  to 
the  westward  of  the  principal  island,  and  Great  Britain 
that  it  should  be  to  the  eastward.  Looking  back  to 
the  east,  across  the  straits,  we  see  still  our  mighty 
snow -peaks  towering  over  a  blue  mountain  -  range, 
with  an  archipelago  of  islands  intervening.  On  the 
southern  view,  the  Olympian  Ranges  seem  to  bathe 
their  feet  in  the  waters  of  the  strait,  surpassingly 
beautiful  in  outline,  delicately  colored,  tipped  and 
rimmed  with  silvery  lines  and  crests  of  snow — a  mar- 
vel of  aerial  effect — a  poet's  dream  —  a  vision  of  the 
air.  Turning  from  this  exquisite  sublimity,  we  see  on 
the  north  the  rocky,  but  picturesque  shores  of  Van- 
couver's Island,  belonging  to  the  possessions  of  Her 


DOWN   THE   SOUND.  251 

Britannic  Majesty.  Neither  high  nor  low,  but  rising 
handsomely  out  of  the  water  ;  indented  with  numerous 
coves,  bays,  and  arms  of  the  sea ;  its  shore  being  dot- 
ted with  trees,  rather  than  heavily  wooded,  with  some 
handsome  villas  in  sight  from  the  steamer,  Vancouver's 
Island  makes  a  good  impression  at  the  moment  of  ap- 
proach— has,  in  fact,  one  of  the  handsomest  approaches 
to  its  principal  city  of  any  country  fronting  on  the 
Pacific. 

It  is  impossible  to  have  seen  Victoria,  the  capital  of 
the  British  possessions  on  the  Pacific,  and  not  give  it  a 
passing  notice  at  least.  It  is  so  in  our  way  when  trav- 
eling on  the  North-west  Coast,  as  not  only  not  to  be 
avoided,  but  to  seem  as  one  of  our  own  proper  belong- 
ings. The  ocean  steamers  frona  San  Francisco  and 
Portland,  though  they  no  longer  make  this  a  point  of 
destination  as  they  did  in  the  times  of  mining  excite- 
ment on  Frazer's  River,  still  call  here.  The  Sound 
steamers  run  direct  between  Olympia  and  Victoria. 
There  is  a  large  American  element  in  the  place,  and  its 
contiguity  to  American  soil  very  strongly  suggests 
identical  interests. 

The  harbor  of  Victoria  is  very  small,  with  a  narrow 
and  crooked  entrance.  The  site  of  the  town  was  not 
selected  with  reference  to  a  future  metropolis,  but 
only  as  a  supply  -  station  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 
pany, after  their  removal  from  Fort  Vancouver  on  the 
Columbia  River.  The  beauty  of  the  location  probably 
had  its  proper  weight  with  the  gentlemanly  managers 
of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company.  Should  the  future  of 
the  city  ever  demand  it,  Esquimault  Harbor  could  be 
opened  into  Victoria  Harbor  by  a  canal  across  the 
peninsula  on  which  the  city  stands,  in  which  case  there 
would  be  ample  room  and  depth  of  water. 


252  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

The  discoTer}^  of  gold,  in  1858,  caused  the  British 
Government  to  revoke  its  grant  of  exclusive  right  to 
trade  in  the  North -west  Territories,  which  for  so  many 
years  had  been  held  by  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company, 
and  to  erect  a  new  colony,  under  the  name  of  British 
Columbia.  Under  the  stimulant  of  this  act,  and  the 
repeated  new  gold  discoveries,  Victoria  suddenly  arose 
from  a  trading -post  to  a  handsome  city  of  several 
thousand  inhabitants.  But  her  career  was  brief,  owing 
to  several  causes,  some  of  which  were  local  and  physical, 
while  others  were  political  and  traditional.  The  phys- 
ical causes  for  the  reverses  at  Victoria  were  the  sever- 
ity of  the  winters  in  the  richest  mining  region ;  the 
cost  of  getting  there,  and  of  subsistence  after  getting 
there — the  scant  agricultural  resources  of  Vancouver's 
Island  not  affording  provision  for  the  large  population 
which  suddenly  poured  in  upon  British  Columbia.  The 
political  ones  were  those  which  usually  beset  a  Crown 
colony,  with  an  expensive  Government  to  maintain, 
and  none  but  second  -  hand  representation.  This  brief 
history  will  explain  why  fully  one  -  third  of  the  houses 
stand  vacant  in  this  beautiful  city,  and  point  the  mean- 
ing of  such  an  advertisement  as  this,  in  the  morning 
paper:  "Wanted — a  small  family  to  occupy  a  house. 
Rent  free.'" 

We  also  learn  by  the  colonial  papers,  that  rail- 
road schemes,  confederation  schemes,  and  annexation 
schemes  are  popular  topics  in  Victoria.  While  one 
paper  declares  the  "Canadian  Pacific  Railway  a  neces- 
sity, a  possibility,  and  a  certainty,"  its  opponent  doubts 
these  assumptions,  and  sees  plenty  of  obstacles  in  the 
way  of  the  proposed  railroad.  The  impartial  observer 
may  admit  the  feasibility  of  a  railroad  from  the  Gulf 
of  St.  Lawrence  to  the  Gulf  of  Georgia,  and  its  seem- 


DOWN   THE   SOUND.  253 

ing  benefit  to  the  British  colonies — supposing  the  Brit- 
ish Government  willing  to  furnish  the  means  of  build- 
ing it.  But  its  real  benefit  would  still  be  dependent 
upon  certain  political  conditions  not  yet  effected.  In 
the  present  state  of  the  colony,  it  can  not  take  advan- 
tage of  the  credit  of  the  home  Government,  nor  even 
extricate  itself  from  the  embarrassments  which  pre- 
vent its  doing  so.  To  ameliorate  this  condition,  two 
plans  are  proposed :  confederation  with  the  Eastern 
Provinces,  or  annexation  to  United  States  terri- 
tory. Property  owners  on  the  island  are  generally  in 
favor  of  annexation.  But  Government  oifficials,  and 
a  class  of  freshly  imported  young  men  who  have  noth- 
ing to  lose,  are  opposed  to  it.  That  is  about  the  way 
it  stands.  Official  integrity,  patriotism,  and  British 
pride  are  opposed  to  annexation  ;  and  every  other  in- 
terest is  in  favor  of  it. 

They  have  not  been  able  always  to  afford  a  line  of 
steamers  for  themselves,  and  were  compelled  to  see 
the  American  steamers  pass  on  up  the  Sound,  only 
touching  at  their  wharves.  This  year,  however,  a  line 
has  been  put  on  between  San  Francisco  and  Victoria, 
carrying  Her  Majesty's  mails,  and  connecting  with  the 
Sound  steamers,  which  run  to  that  port.  They  are 
forced,  too,  to  buy  a  great  share  of  their  provisions 
from  American  dealers.  But,  in  return,  they  sell  their 
coal  (Nanaimo)  to  American  purchasers.  Of  the  re- 
tail trade  in  miscellaneous  articles,  American  mer- 
chants in  Victoria  control  a  large  proportion.  We  can 
not  help  thinking,  if  it  were  annexed,  what  a  glorious 
city  Victoria  might  become.  But  remaining  as  she  is, 
she  is  too  near  to  American  enterprise  not  to  be  in- 
jured by  it ;  and  the  same  is  true  of  British  Columbia 
all  the  way  to  the  Lake  of  the  Woods.     The  Northern 


254  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

Pacific  Railroad  will  draw  to  itself  the  agricultural  and 
mineral  wealth  of  a  large  extent  of  territory,  whose 
resources  are  as  ample,  as  they  are  at  present  little 
understood  by  Americans. 

There  is  little  good  land  on  Vancouver's  Island,  the 
largest  body  of  it  lying  on  the  east  side,  toward  the 
Gulf  of  Georgia.  Sheep  -  raising  is  carried  on  to  a 
considerable  extent ;  the  fleeces  being  reported  light, 
but  the  mutton  excellent.  Fruit,  so  far  as  cultivated, 
does  well.  But  the  wealth  of  the  island  lies  in  the 
heavy  forests  of  the  interior,  in  its  coal,  and  in  its 
fisheries  ;  to  which  will  ultimately  be  added  gold, 
copper,  and  salt. 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

BAYS    AND    ISLANDS. 

In  proceeding  from  Victoria  to  Nanaimo — the  coal- 
ing-station of  the  American  sea -going  steamers — we 
pass  through  the  Archipelago  of  San  Juan,  which  lies 
between  the  Sound  and  the  Gulf  of  Georgia,  and  have 
an  opportunity  to  be  surfeited  with  the  beauty  of  un- 
broken solitudes.  After  passing  San  Juan  Island — on 
which  are  garrisons  of  both  English  and  American  sol- 
diers— the  grounds  of  the  former  beautifully  laid  out, 
and  shaded  with  spreading  maples,  we  begin  to  see 
island  after  island,  all  densely  wooded,  some  with 
mossy  banks,  overhung  with  handsome  shrubbery, 
others  with  bold,  rocky  shores,  of  every  form  of  the 
picturesque.  So  limpid  are  the  waters  that  fish,  and 
even  sea-weed,  can  be  discerned  in  their  clear  depths. 
These  islands  were  formerly  very  thickly  populated  by 
the  native  tribes ;  and  many  Indians  still  live  about 
this  part  of  the  Sound.  Canoes  are  often  met  with  ; 
and  a  contrivance  for  catching  wild  fowl  is  frequently 
observed,  which  would  probably  puzzle  the  regular 
sportsman  who  should  stumble  upon  it.  It  consists 
of  a  tall  cross,  with  a  net  spread  on  the  arms.  At 
night  a  fire  is  lighted,  which  attracts  the  fowls  flying 
by  night,  who  rush  against  the  net  with  such  momen- 
tum as  to  occasion  their  fall,  when  the  Indians  gather 
them  up  before  they  recover  from  the  shock.  Deer  are 
also  taken  by  means  of  torches,  which  the  Indians 


256  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

burn  near  their  salt-licks.  So  dazzled  are  they  by  the 
glare  that  they  stand  motionless  to  be  killed.  From 
these  facts  we  may  gather  that  the  ideal  Indian  Hunter 
is  a  creation  far  superior  in  manly  attributes  to  the  real 
one.  But  then  "  his  bread-and-butter  depends  on  it," 
and  who  can  blame  him? 

Bellingham  Bay  is  sixteen  miles  long  from  north  to 
south,  and  about  six  miles  wide.  It  is,  however,  di- 
vided by  islands,  which  make  the  bay  proper  about  six 
miles  in  diameter,  and  of  an  irregular,  circular  shape. 
It  is  backed  by  rather  high  hills,  covered  with  forest, 
which  shelter  it  from  the  main  -  land  side  ;  and  is  pro- 
tected from  the  winds  which  blow  up  the  straits  by 
the  numerous  islands  in  front.  This  bay  is  the  shal- 
lowest part  of  the  great  archipelago,  and  has  a  good 
bottom  for  holding,  with  from  seven  to  twenty  fath- 
oms in  the  central  division,  while  in  some  other 
portions  of  it  there  are  thirty  fathoms.  Of  all  the 
countless  safe  and  convenient  harbors  on  the  Sound, 
Bellingham  Bay  is  esteemed  one  of  the  most,  if  not 
the  most  important,  by  reason  of  its  nearness  to  the 
straits,  its  excellent  anchorage,  and  its  avoidance  of 
the  strong  currents,  which,  with  the  ebb  and  flow  of 
the  tide,  set  through  the  narrower  channels  of  the 
lower  Sound.  The  tides,  it  is  observed,  contrary  to 
rule,  are  highest  by  night  through  the  summer,  and 
highest  by  day  during  the  winter ;  except  at  the  full 
and  change  of  the  moon,  when  they  have  their  extreme 
height  at  six  p.  m.  in  summer,  and  at  six  a.  m.  in  winter. 
The  average  rise  and  fall  is  twelve  feet  in  summer  and 
fourteen  in  winter. 

The  handsome  blue  sandstone  used  in  Portland  to 
build  the  Custom-house  is  quarried  in  a  little  cove  of 
Bellingham  Bay,  called  Chuckanuts.     The  rock  is  beau- 


BAYS   AND    ISLANDS.  257 

tifully  stratified,  and  splits  almost  as  straight  as  cedar. 
It  stands  in  the  quarry  almost  perpendicular  to  its  strat- 
ification, and  is  split  in  vast  surfaces  of  nearly  smooth 
stone.  It  is  quarried  by  cutting  through  a  wall  of  the 
stone  on  a  level  with  the  wharf,  then  making  up-and- 
down  cuts,  and  lateral  ones,  until  the  blocks  are  of  a 
size  small  enough  to  be  handled  ;  after  which  they  are 
slid  down  to  the  floor  of  the  quarry  to  be  dressed,  or 
shipped  in  the  rough. 

Coal  was  first  discovered  at  Bellingham  Bay  in  1852, 
by  a  Captain  Pattle,  in  the  service  of  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company,  while  looking  out  for  spars.  A  com- 
pany attempting  to  work  it  failed  ;  but  another  seam 
being  discoverd  a  little  farther  to  the  north,  at  a  place 
called  Seahome,  another  company  was  formed  to  work 
this  one,  and  succeeded.  It  was  subsequently  sold  to 
a  capitalist  of  San  Francisco,  who,  after  a  large  outlay, 
is  making  it  profitable.  Miners  call  this  one  of  the 
most  regular  coal  seams  that  is  known.  Its  thickness 
is  fifteen  feet,  with  only  two  divisions  of  clay.  There 
appears  to  be  a  coal  deposit,  very  little  interrupted,  all 
the  way  from  Frazer  River  in  British  Columbia,  to  the 
Columbia  River,  and  beyond. 

Whatcom,  a  mile  or  two  south  of  Seahome,  is  the 
county -seat  of  Whatcom  County,  and  a  place  of  proba- 
ble future  importance.  It  was  founded  in  the  begin- 
ning of  the  Frazer  River  gold  fever,  in  1858,  when  as 
many  as  ten  thousand  people  were  encamped  here 
waiting  transportation  to  the  mines.  A  mill  was 
erected  for  getting  out  lumber,  and  wharves  built  for 
the  accommodation  of  the  half-dozen  steamers,  and 
numerous  vessels  used  to  carry  passengers  and  freight 
to  this  point.  But  this  splendid  prospect  for  Whatcom 
was  speedily  clouded  over.     The  Governor  of  British 


258  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

Columbia  issued  an  order  that  all  miners  working  in  his 
dominion  should  take  out  a  license  in  Victoria.  The 
tide  was  then  turned  to  Victoria,  and  thus  that  city 
obtained  its  first  great,  and  as  it  proved,  transient  pros- 
perity. 

At  the  mouth  of  the  Lumni,  a  small  river  flowing 
into  Bellingham  Bay,  is  the  reservation  of  the  Lum- 
nis,  a  hunting  and  fishing  tribe.  Of  the  eight  reser- 
vations of  Washington  Territory,  the  largest  is  at  Tula- 
lip,  on  the  Sound,  east  of  Whidby's  Island.  The  others 
are  on  the  Yakima,  Chehalis,  and  Puyallup  rivers, 
east  of  the  Sound ;  and  on  the  Skokomish  River, 
emptying  into  Hood's  Canal,  the  Quinaielt  River,  emp- 
tying into  Gray's  Harbor,  and  on  Neah  Bay.  All 
these  reservations  occupy  about  two  hundred  thousand 
acres  of  excellent  land.  This  one,  on  the  Lumni,  is 
small,  riot  containing  more  than  twenty  thousand 
acres  ;  but  is  valuable  for  its  fertility,  and  the  amount 
of  fine  timber  upon  it.  The  Lumni  Indians  are  very 
contented,  and  live  comfortably.  There  are  fifty  or 
more  board  dwellings  of  a  substantial  character  in  their 
town,  which  they  keep  with  considerable  neatness  and 
order.  They  are  Catholics  in  religion,  observing  the 
forms  taught  them  quite  zealously,  and  seldom  neg- 
lecting their  morning  and  evening  prayers.  Generally 
speaking,  the  Indians  of  Washington  are  better  look- 
ing, more  dignified,  and  decently  dressed,  than  in 
Oregon.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  Government  will 
so  deal  with  them  as  to  save  some  of  these  tribes  from 
the  degradation  and  ruin  which  have  nearly  extermi- 
nated the  Oregon  Indians.  We  quote  here  from  the 
journal  of  a  gentleman  who  traveled  up  the  Lumni 
River,  on  an  expedition  to  Mount  Baker: 

"Our  journey  was  henceforth  up  the  Lumni,  into 


BAYS   AND   ISLANDS  250 

the  bosom  of  the  forest.  Its  banks  are  adorned  with 
several  species  of  willow,  alder,  the  crab -apple,  grasses, 
English  clover,  the  daisy,  the  cockspur- thorn,  the 
sweet-brier,  the  wild -rose,  and  the  beautiful  fes- 
toons of  the  wild  pea.  There  is  plenty  of  open  land, 
and  half  a  mile  up  we  observe  the  telegraph  wires 
crossing  the  river — a  silent  prophecy  of  their  speedy 
settlement.  .  .  .  Our  canoe  was  propelled  against 
the  stream  at  times  by  paddles,  and  at  times  by 
poles,  and  made  about  three  miles  an  hour.  This 
was  slow  progress,  but  we  did  not  regret  it,  as  the 
scenery  became  surpassingly  beautiful.  There  were 
long  rows  of  cottonwood- trees,  which,  at  first  sight, 
reminded  one  of  the  English  elm.  The  cottonwood 
is  sometimes  called  the  balsam  -  poplar.  In  the 
spring,  when  the  buds  are  breaking,  the  air  is  filled 
with  the  scent  of  it.  Then  there  would  be  successive 
rows  of  pines  in  serried  ranks,  mingled  with  the  cedar 
and  broad -leafed  maple,  relieved  by  the  gorgeous 
crimson  and  Indian -yellow  tints  of  the  vine -maple 
and  hazel.  The  scene  would  then  change  :  there  would 
be  next  long  reaches  of  alder  and  willow,  indicating 
good  bottom-lands.  Now  and  then  the  stately  ranks 
of  pines  would  be  broken  by  some  tall  fir  gracefully 
leaning  forward  with  its  arms,  and  sweeping  the 
stream  like  some  disheveled  beauty.  Conspicuous 
among  the  arborage  is  the  Menzies  spruce  {Abies 
Menzii),  so  called  from  its  discoverer,  the  surgeon  of 
Vancouver's  expedition.  Its  feathery  foliage  hangs 
down  in  delicate  clusters,  like  lace  upon  a  lady's 
jeweled  arm.  Coleridge  has  said  the  birch  was  'Lady 
of  the  Woods,'  and  we  certainly  rank  the  Menzies 
spruce  as  the  'Queen  of  the  Forest.' " 

From  this  extract,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  same  kinds 


260  OREGON  AND  "WASHINGTON. 

of  trees  which  have  been  described  as  belonging  to 
the  rivers  and  forests  of  Oregon,  extend  to  the  north- 
ern limits  of  Washington  ;  and  also  that  the  scenery 
of  this  northern  latitude  loses  nothing  from  being  so 
near  the  49th  parallel. 

Whatcom  County,  although  not  yet  devoted  to 
grain -raising,  is  found  to  produce  large  crops  of  wheat 
on  the  bottom-lands.  It  is,  however,  celebrated  for 
its  vegetables,  the  yield  and  excellence  of  all  roots, 
such  as  onions,  potatoes,  and  turnips,  being  prodigious. 
Potatoes  are  shipped  from  here  to  San  Francisco.  Ap- 
ples, jDcars,  cherries,  plums,  and  all  kinds  of  berries 
come  to  perfection  in  the  region  of  Bellingham  Bay. 

Returning  down  the  Sound,  the  steamer  calls  at 
Coupeville,  on  Whidby's  Island  — "the  garden  of 
Washington  Territory."  This  island  is  about  fifty 
miles  long,  and  of  very  unequal  width,  not  being  over 
ten  miles  at  any  place.  It  is  almost  cut  in  two  by 
Penn's  Cove,  one  of  the  long  bays  common  to  this 
region.  It  is  pierced  with  these  inlets  in  every  direc- 
tion, and  receives  from  them  a  greater  variety  of 
scenery,  and  greater  number  of  beautiful  locations  for 
building,  than  any  equal  amount  of  territory  in  Amer- 
ica. It  contains  a  population  of  550,  and  has  about 
seven  thousand  acres  under  cultivation.  The  excel- 
lence of  the  soil,  beauty  of  the  scenery,  and  mildness 
of  the  climate,  have  given  to  Whidby's  Island  a  wide 
reputation.  The  land  is  much  of  it  prairie,  equally 
well  adapted  to  farming  or  grazing.  The  views  which 
may  be  obtained  from  its  most  elevated  portions  are 
remarkably  fine,  having  water,  forests,  and  mountains 
on  every  hand.  The  average  mean  temperature  of  the 
island  is  forty  -  eight  degrees.  Well  might  so  favored 
a  spot  be  called  the  garden  of  the  Territory.     All  that 


BAYS  AND   ISLANDS.  261 

is  true  of  the  most  favored  portions  of  Washington, 
with  regard  to  grains,  vegetables,  fruits,  and  flowers, 
apply  most  especially  to  Island  County,  and  to  Whid- 
by's  Island  in  particular. 

We  might  go  on  endlessly,  describing  the  many 
islands  that  dot  the  Sound,  and  the  lovely  little  bays, 
with  their  small  rivers  and  fertile  valleys  opening  into 
them  ;  but  it  would  be  only  to  repeat  the  same  general 
features :  agreeable  scenery,  mild  climate,  prolific  soil, 
with  a  recapitulation  of  natural  resources — animal, 
vegetable,  and  mineral — that  are  nowhere  lacking  in 
all  this  immense  region  of  Puget  Sound. 


CHAPTER  XXIY. 

THE    WASHINGTON    COAST. 

In  order  to  visit  the  two  most  important  points  on 
the  coast  of  Washington  Territory,  we  will  return  to 
the  Columbia  River  and  Astoria.  Crossing  over  by 
the  mail -steamer  to  Baker's  Bay,  we  find  a  stage 
awaiting  us  by  which  we  are  to  be  conveyed  to  Oyster- 
ville  on  Shoalwater  Bay.  The  entrance  to  this  bay  is 
twenty -seven  miles  north  of  the  Columbia,  though  it 
extends  down  to  within  three  or  four  miles  of  Baker's 
Bay,  leaving  a  long  strip  of  land,  from  one  to  one  and  a 
half  miles  in  width,  between  itself  and  the  ocean.  It 
is  on  this  long  peninsula  that  Oysterville  is  situated, 
and  the  drive  to  it  is  along  the  beach  nearly  the  whole 
distance.  Of  a  fine  summer's  day  the  excursion  is  an 
exhilarating  one.  The  town  is  upon  the  inside  of  the 
peninsula,  and  fronts  the  bay  and  the  main -land  op- 
posite. Its  distance  below  the  entrance  to  the  bay  is 
about  eight  miles. 

Although  the  county -seat  of  Pacific  County,  and, 
like  Port  Townsend,  a  place  for  the  receipt  of  customs, 
it  is  but  a  small  village,  and  depends  on  the  oyster 
trade  for  its  chief  support.  The  annual  shipment  of 
oysters  to  San  Francisco  is  estimated  at  forty  thousand 
baskets.  Quite  a  number  of  visitors  may  be  found 
here  in  the  summer,  who  come  to  the  coast  to  es- 
cape the  heat  of  the  valleys  in  the  months  of  July 
and  August.     The  drive  on  the  beach,  and  the  privi- 


THE  WASHINGTON   COAST.  263 

lege  of  boating  on  the  bay,  are  about  the  only  amuse- 
ments. 

Shoalwater  Bay  is  about  twenty -five  miles  long  by 
from  four  to  seven  wide.  As  its  name  indicates,  the  bay 
has  many  shoals,  but  with  numerous  deep  channels, 
which  make  it  easily  navigable.  There  is  plenty  of 
water  on  the  bar — mean  low- water  being  eighteen  feet, 
and  mean  high -water  twenty -four.  There  is  a  light- 
house on  Toke's  Point,  the  extreme  north-west  point 
of  Cape  Shoalwater,  at  the  north  side  of  the  entrance. 
The  light  is  of  the  fourth  order,  fixed  and  varied  by  a 
flash.  There  are  many  fine  sites  for  building,  both  on 
the  peninsula  and  on  the  main -land  opposite. 

Several  rivers  empty  into  Shoalwater  Bay — North, 
Cedar,  Willopah,  Palix,  Nema,  Nacelle,  and  Bear.  Of 
these,  the  Willopah  is  most  important.  Its  whole 
length  is  not  more  than  forty  miles,  yet  it  is  navigable 
for  vessels  of  twelve  feet  draught  for  a  distance  of  fifteen 
miles  from  its  entrance  ;  and  its  valley  contains  a  large 
amount  of  the  richest  land  in  the  Territory.  Next  to 
the  Willopah  is  the  Nacelle.  A  portion  of  the  Nacelle 
Yalley  is  prairie,  and  the  remainder  covered  with  Cot- 
tonwood. This  country  is  rapidly  settling  up,  and  is 
represented  as  being  very  handsome,  with  a  soil  of 
rich,  black  loam.  The  valley,  it  is  thought,  afl'ords 
room  enough  for  about  one  hundred  farms.  There  is  a 
large  amount  of  Government  land  in  these  small  val- 
leys, of  the  best  character,  on  which  colonies  of  farm- 
ers might  find  excellent  farms,  at  Government  price. 

Fourteen  miles  north  of  Shoalwater  Bay  is  a  smaller, 
but  more  important  one,  called  Gray's  Harbor,  cover- 
ing an  area  of  about  eighty  square  miles.  The  coun- 
try between  these  two  bays  is  a  narrow  strip  of  sandy 
prairie  near  the  sea,  and  back  of  it  small  lakes,  and 


264  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

cranberry  marshes ;  in  all  respects  resembling  the  plains 
south  of  the  Columbia  River.  Both  have  evidently 
been  formed  by  the  sand  brought  down  by  the  Colum- 
bia, and  other  rivers,  and  moved  by  wave  and  wind 
into  its  present  position. 

The  entrance  to  Gray's  Harbor  is  about  three- 
fourths  of  a  mile  in  width,  with  twenty-one  feet  on 
the  bar  at  mean  low -water,  and  thirty -one  feet  at 
mean  high -water.  It  is  considered  a  good  and  safe 
harbor.  That  which  makes  the  importance  of  Gray's 
Harbor,  is  the  fact  that  it  lies  only  about  sixty  miles 
directly  west  of  the  head  of  the  Sound ;  and  that  it  can 
easily  be  brought  into  connection  with  the  Northern 
Pacific  Railroad  by  means  of  the  Chehalis  River,  which 
empties  into  it.  This  river,  as  perhaps  the  reader  will 
remember,  we  crossed  twice  in  going  from  the  Colum- 
bia to  the  Sound.  At  the  first  crossing  is  the  little 
village  of  Claquato,  in  the  valley  of  the  Chehalis,  near 
the  junction  of  the  Newaukum  with  the  latter  river. 
Either  at  this  point,  or  a  few  miles  to  the  east,  in  the 
Newaukum  Valley,  there  must  be  a  station  on  the  North- 
ern Pacific  Railroad,  the  distance  from  which  to  Olympia 
is  thirty -seven  miles.  The  Chehalis  River  being  nav- 
igable for  light-draught  steamers  for  a  distance  of  sixty 
miles,  in  a  meandering  course,  leaves  but  a  short  dis- 
tance to  be  overcome  in  reaching  the  railroad,  which 
would  give  communication  with  either  the  Sound  or 
the  Columbia  River.  It  was  this  fact  which  induced  a 
company  to  buy  up  a  large  tract  of  land  on  Gray's 
Harbor  only  a  few  months  ago ;  and  the  probabilities 
are  that  they  will  make  it  one  of  the  most  important 
harbors  on  the  whole  coast. 

Tide -water  extends  twenty  miles  up  the  Chehalis 
River,  and  also  into  some  of  its  tributaries,  making 


1 


THE    WASHINGTON    COAST.  2G5 

them  also  navigable.  The  valley  of  the  Chehalis  is 
the  most  extensive  of  any  in  Western  Washington. 
Nor  is  its  beauty  or  fertility  exceeded  by  any  others. 
It  belongs  to  the  coast  only  through  the  circumstances 
we  have  named,  the  greater  portion  of  its  extent  being 
cast  of  the  Coast  Mountains.  Gray's  Harbor  is  in 
Chehalis  County,  the  shire -town  of  which  is  Monte- 
sano.  The  population  of  both  Pacific  and  Chehalis 
counties  will  not  amount  to  more  than  twelve  hundred. 
North  of  Gray's  Harbor,  until  we  come  to  the  Straits 
of  Juan  de  Fuca,  the  coast  is  unsettled.  There  is, 
however,  a  large  amount  of  fine,  level  country  between 
the  sea  and  the  Coast  Range — a  much  greater  extent 
than  anywhere  on  the  Oregon  coast.  It  would  also 
appear  from  the  last  census  returns  that  grain -raising 
is  carried  on  no  more  extensively  in  the  coast  counties 
of  Washington  than  Oregon.  Chehalis  County  con- 
tains 77  farms,  on  which  were  raised  785  tons  of  hay, 
3,345  bushels  of  wheat,  4,235  bushels  of  oats,  475 
bushels  of  barley.  Pacific  County  contains  56  farms, 
on  which  were  raised  384  tons  of  hay,  1,100  bushels 
of  wheat,  1,586  bushels  of  oats,  30  bushels  of  barley. 
Taking  into  consideration  the  isolation  of  these  farms, 
and  that  probably  they  do  not  depend  on  grain-raising 
for  the  profit  of  their  farms,  the  showing  is  very  good. 
Pacific  County  returns  58  horses,  2  mules,  447  cows, 
94  oxen,  389  young  cattle,  981  sheep,  144  hogs.  The 
proportion  of  horses  to  the  number  of  farms  reveals 
the  fact  that  but  little  farm -work  is  done  which  re- 
quires horse -power  to  do;  and  the  amount  of  stock, 
that  cows,  sheep,  and  beef- cattle  are  more  profitable 
than  farm  crops.  But  -as  a  great  many  of  the  inhabi- 
tants of  these  coast  counties  scarcely  farm  at  all,  doing 
just  enough  farm  labor  to  supply  their  families  with 

18 


266  OREGON   AND    WASHINGTON. 

provisions,  which  they  eke  out  by  hunting  and  fishing, 
the  returns  of  the  census,  always  below  the  actual 
figures,  give  an  idea  of  the  productiveness  of  the 
country  by  no  means  discouraging.  And  again,  most 
of  the  settlers  prefer  to  take  up  the  rich  alluvial  bot- 
tom-lands, which,  before  being  plowed  and  sown,  have 
first  to  be  cleared  ;  consequently,  their  first  grain-fields 
are  small. 

From  what  we  have  seen,  we  can  safely  assert  that 
every  part  of  Western  Washington  can  be  made  not 
only  self-supporting,  agriculturally,  but  something 
more.  All  the  grains,  hardy  fruits,  and  vegetables 
will  grow  luxuriantly,  and  ripen  well,  in  almost  any 
part  of  it  where  settlements  can  be  made.  But  the 
great  wheat,  corn,  and  sorghum  region  lies  east  of  the 
Cascade  Mountains,  in  the  Walla  Walla,  Yakima,  and 
other  valleys.  Peaches  and  grapes,  too,  will  be  gener- 
ally raised  east  of  the  mountains.  Beef,  mutton,  and 
wool  can  be  produced  both  east  and  west  of  the 
mountains,  of  excellent  quality.  Yet  Eastern  Wash- 
ington will  excel  in  the  production  of  these  articles  ; 
while  the  coast  countr}'-  will  furnish  the  dairy  products. 
So  happily  have  the  climate  and  productions  of  Oregon 
and  Washington  been  arranged,  that  almost  every  lux- 
ury the  world's  markets  aflford  can  be  obtained  within 
their  own  borders. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

SUMMARY    OF   WASHINGTON    TERRITORY. 

"  WashingtOxNT  Territory  contains  an  approximate 
area  of  sixty-eight  thousand  square  miles,  or  43,520,- 
000  acres ;  of  this  area,  about  20,000,000  acres  are 
prairie,  and  about  the  same  quantity  of  timber,  the 
remainder  mountains.  It  is  estimated  that  about 
5,000,000  acres  of  the  timbered  lands  are  susceptible 
of  cultivation,  the  remainder  ^comparatively  worthless 
after  the  timber  is  removed.  A  little  over  one -third 
of  the  entire  area  is  adapted  to  the  pursuits  of  grazing 
and  agriculture. 

''The  Cascade  Range  divides  the  Territory  into  two 
unequal  parts — eastern  and  western  —  differing  widely 
in  topography,  soil,  climate,  and  productions :  the 
western  portion  being  densely  timbered  with  fir,  cedar, 
oak,  etc.,  with  an  occasional  small  prairie,  soil  varied, 
river -bottoms  sandy  mold,  with  clay  sub -soil;  high 
prairies  are  gravelly  or  light  sand.  There  are  excep- 
tions, however,  of  rich  soil  prairies,  particularly  in 
Lewis  County,  which  ranks  as  the  best  agricultural 
count}^  in  western  Washington  Territory.  Other  coun- 
ties, however,  have  excellent  agricultural  land,  but 
they  are  mostly  timbered. 

"The  principal  productions  of  grain  are  wheat,  oats, 
barley,  and  rye  ;  of  fruits,  apples,  pears,  peaches,  and 
plums.  Small  fruits  excel.  Strawberries,  blackber- 
ries,  huckleberries,  and  numerous  other  berries,  in- 


263  OREGON    AND   WASHINGTON. 

digenoiis.  Salmon  and  other  fish  of  commercial  value 
are  found  in  the  Columbia  River  and  Puget  Sound  ; 
while  the  mountain  streams  abound  in  trout,  and 
the  woods  in  game.  The  climate  of  the  western  por- 
tion of  the  Territory  is  mild,  humid,  and  remarkably 
healthy.  The  mean  temperature  of  the  mouth  of  the 
Columbia  and  of  Puget  Sound  varies  but  two  degrees  ; 
though  the  climate  of  the  Sound  is  much  more  agree- 
able, by  reason  of  the  absence  of  the  strong  winds 
which  in  summer  prevail  along  the  coast. 

"Eastern  Washington  may  be  described  as  a  vast 
rolling  plain,  traversed  in  all  directions  by  rivers  and 
creeks,  the  principal  of  which  is  the  Columbia,  having 
for  its  tributaries  in  this  Territory  the  Snake,  Spokane, 
Walla  Walla,  Winachee,  Okinakane,  Yakima,  and  Klick- 
itat, with  many  of  minor  importance.  Into  the  prin- 
cipal of  these — Snake  River — empties  the  Pelouze, 
Clearwater,  Tucanon,  and  other  minor  streams.  The 
soil  is  uniform,  and  a  change  is  the  exception  and  not 
the  rule  ;  being  a  rich,  sandy  loam,  producing  a  thick, 
heavy  mat  of  bunch -grass.  On  all  the  streams  there 
is  more  or  less  timber  ;  but  the  mountains  have  to  sup- 
ply lumber,  and  rails  for  fencing." 

Prolific  in  all  her  productions,  her  principal  grains 
are  wheat,  corn,  oats,  barley,  rye,  and  buckwheat. 
Her  fruits  are  apples,  pears,  peaches,  plums,  cherries, 
grapes,  and  small  fruits  of  all  kinds.  Cattle  remain 
fat  the  year  round  on  the  bunch -grass.  The  streams 
abound  in  fish.  The  climate  is  one  which  for  salubrity 
may  challenge  the  world  ;  with  a  dry  air  and  clear  sky 
the  greater  portion  of  the  year  ;  the  mean  temperature 
varying  from  that  of  the  Sound  but  three  degrees,  the 
greatest  diiTcrence  being  in  summer,  when  it  is  eleven 
degrees  warmer  in  Walla  Walla  than  at  Steilacoom,  on 


SUMMARY   OF   WASHINGTON   TERRITORY.  209 

the  Sound.     The  comparative  temperature  of  Eastern 
and  Western  Washington  is  as  follows : 

Spring.         Summer.         Autumn.         Winter.  Mean. 

Steilacoom 49.2  62.9  51.7  39.5  50.8 

Walla  Walla 51.9  73.1  53.6  41.1  53.2 

Manufactures — except  of  lumber,  flour,  a  few  woolen 
goods,  and  a  small  amount  of  leather — are  almost  en- 
tirely undeveloped. 

Ship -building  on  the  Sound  is  carried  on  to  a  con- 
siderable extent ;  but  has  not  increased  in  the  last  two 
years,  owing  to  a  dullness  in  the  lumber  trade  in  San 
Francisco,  and  consequent  cheapening  of  freights  by 
sailing-vessels.  In  the  year  18G9,  eighteen  vessels,  of 
all  descriptions,  including  five  steamers,  were  built  on 
the  Sound  ;  but  the  following  two  years  witnessed  a 
great  falling  off*  in  the  business  of  ship  -  building  and 
lumber  manuftxcturing.  A  large,  one  -  thousand  -  ton 
ship  was  built  last  year  at  Port  Madison ;  and  a  steamer 
this  year  at  Seattle.  Ultimately  this  must  become  the 
great  business  of  the  Sound. 

The  following  is  the  statement  of  Hon.  M.  S.  Drew, 
Collector  of  Customs  for  Puget  Sound  District,  for  the 
year  ending  June  30,  1870  : 

Value  of  goods  imported  from  foreign  countries $33,105  00 

Amount  of  duties  collected 41,326  00 

EXPORTS    OF    DOMESTIC   PRODUCE. 

Value  exported  in  American  vessels $291,010  00 

Value  exported  in  foreign  vessels 149,905  00 

Total  exports $440,015  00 

Live  animals  of  all  kinds $43,713  00 

Lumber  of  all  kinds 266,288  00 

All  other  articles 130,914  00 

$440,915  00 


270  OREGON    AND   WASHINGTON. 


TONNAGE   BELONGIN&  -TO-THE  DISTRICT. 

Tons. 

62  sailing  vessels 13,711.09 

19  steamers 2,015.87 

8  scows  and  barges 140.77 

Total  tonnage 15,867.73 

Vessels  cleared  during  the  year:  American  vessels  for  foreign 
countries — 115  steamers,  4  ships,  13  barks,  2  brigs,  13  schooners, 
2  sloops :  total  number  of  vessels,  149  ;  number  of  tons,  55,- 
606.25;  number  of  men,  2,105. 

Foreign  vessels  for  foreign  countries :  6  steamers,  16  ships,  6 
barks,  3  sloops:  total,  31;  number  of  tons,  19,227.42;  crews, 
456. 

American  vessels  coastwise  :  29  steamers,  11  ships,  18  barks,  1 
brig,  and  9  schooners:  total,  68;  number  of  tons,  31,779.74; 
crews,  1,092.  Total  number  of  vessels  cleared,  248;  total  num- 
ber of  tons,  106,613.41 ;  crews,  3,653. 

Vessels  entered  during  the  year  :  American  vessels  from  foreign 
countries — 95  steamers,  1  ship,  10  barks,  1  brig,  18  schooners, 
and  22  sloops :  total,  147  ;  number  of  tons,  39,840.06 ;  crews, 
1,852. 

Foreign  vessels  from  foreign  countries :  6  steamers,  7  ships, 
and  3  sloops  :  total,  16;  number  of  tons,  5,366.57;  crews,  62. 

American  vessels  coastwise  :  39  steamers,  18  ships,  43  barks,  3 
brigs,  and  6  schooners:  total,  109;  number  of  tons,  55,561.18; 
crews,  1,853.  Total  number  of  American  vessels  entered, 
272 ;  total  number  of  tons,  100,767.81 ;  total  number  of  crews, 
3,502. 

In  the  coasting  trade  belonging  to  other  ports  there  are  eighteen 
vessels,  viz.,  1  ship,  12  barks,  1  hrig,  and  4  schoonei's  :  total,  18  ; 
number  of  tons,  7,761.25. 

The  value  of  the  shipments  coastwise  can  not  be  obtained  from 
any  other  source  than  the  mills  from  which  the  lumber  is  shipped, 
as  vessels  do  not  clear  from  this  port  unless  sailing  under  a  reg- 
ister. 

The  year's  shipment  coastwise  is  estimated  at  three  million  dol- 
lars, being  an  increase  over  the  preceding  year  of  nearly  three 
hundred  thousand  dollars. 

Imports  coastwise  can  not  be  ascertained,  as  the  vessels  are 
not  obliged  to  report  at  the  Custom  -  house  except  in  certain 
cases. 

The  total  population  of  "Washington  Territory  is  23,- 
995.  Of  tliis  number  G,C99  are  in  Eastern  Wasliington, 
and  the  remainder  chiefly  in  the  vicinity  of  the  lower 
Columbia  River  and  the  Sound. 


SUMMARY   OF   WASHINGTON   TERRITORY.  271 

Educational  and  religious  institutions  are  as  far  ad- 
vanced and  well  supported  as  it  would  be  possible  for 
them  to  be  in  a  country  with  so  scattered  a  population. 
Society,  all  over  the  Territory,  is  rather  above  the 
average,  promising  a  good  foundation  for  the  future 
moral  and  intellectual  culture  of  the  State  of  Wash- 
ington. 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 

CLIMATE   OP    OREGON    AND    WASHINGTON. 

The  physical  geography  of  Oregon  and  Washington 
is  unique,  and  gives  a  great  variety  of  climates.  Ap- 
proaching from  the  Pacific,  we  find,  first,  a  narrow  skirt- 
ing of  coast,  from  one  to  six  miles  in  width.  Back  of 
this  rises  the  Coast  Range  of  mountains,  from  three  to 
five  thousand  feet  high.  Beyond  this  range  are  fine, 
level  prairies,  extending  for  from  forty  to  sixty  miles 
eastward.  Beyond  these  prairies  rises  again  the  Cas- 
cade Range,  from  five  to  eight  thousand  feet  in  height, 
and  having  to  the  east  of  them  high,  rolling  prairies, 
extending  to  the  base  of  the  Blue  Mountains,  which 
trend  south -westwardly,  leaving  plains  and  small  val- 
leys, to  the  east,  between  themselves  and  the  Snake 
River,  which  forms  the  eastern  boundary  of  Oregon 
and  a  portion  of  Washington 

These  differences  in  altitude  would,  of  themselves, 
produce  differences  in  temperature.  But  the  great 
reason  why  the  change  is  so  great  from  the  coast  to 
the  Snake  River  lies  in  the  arrangement  of  the  mount- 
ain-ranges ;  and  in  the  fact  that  the  north-west  shore 
of  the  American  continent  is  washed  by  a  warm  cur- 
rent from  the  China  seas.  The  effect  of  this  current 
is  such  that  places  in  the  same  latitude  on  the  Atlantic 
and  Pacific  coasts  are  several  degrees — sometimes 
twenty  degrees — warmer  on  the  latter  coast,  than  on 
the  former.     Tliis  gives  a  temperature  at  which  great 


CLIMATE   OF    OREGON    AND   WASHINGTON.  273 

evaporation  is  carried  on.  The  moisture  thus  charged 
upon  the  atmosphere  by  day,  is  precipitated  during 
the  cooler  hours  of  night  in  fog,  mist,  or  rain. 

In  summer,  the  prevailing  wind  of  the  coast  is  from 
the  north-west,  thus  following  the  general  direction  of 
the  shore -line.  It  naturally  carries  the  sea -vapor  in- 
land ;  but  the  first  obstacle  encountered  by  these  masses 
of  vapor  is  a  range  of  mountains  high  enough  to 
cause,  by  their  altitude  and  consequent  lower  tempera- 
ture, the  precipitation  of  a  large  amount  of  moisture 
upon  this  seaward  slope.  Still,  a  considerable  por- 
tion of  moisture  is  carried  over  this  first  range,  and 
through  the  gaps  in  the  mountains,  and  falls  in  rain  or 
mist  upon  the  level  prairie  country  beyond.  Not  so, 
however,  with  the  second,  or  Cascade  Range.  These 
mountains,  by  their  height,  intercept  the  sea -fog  com- 
pletely ;  and  while  great  masses  of  vapor  overhang 
their  western  slopes,  on  their  eastern  foot-hills  and 
the  rolling  prairies  beyond  not  a  drop  of  dew  has 
fallen.  This  is  the  explanation  of  the  difference  in 
climate,  as  regards  dryness  and  moisture,  between 
Eastern  and  Western  Oregon  and  Washington.  All 
other  differences  depend  on  altitude  and  local  circum- 
stances. 

Notwithstanding  the  great  amount  of  moisture  pre- 
cipitated upon  the  country  west  of  the  Cascades,  the 
general  climate  may  be  said  to  be  drier  than  on  the 
Atlantic  Coast.  The  atmosphere  does  not  seem  to 
hold  moisture,  and  even  in  rainy  weather  its  drying 
qualities  are  remarkable.  Taken  altogether,  the  stormy 
days  in  this  part  of  Oregon  and  Washington  are  not 
more  numerous  than  in  the  Atlantic  States ;  but  the 
rainy  days  are,  because  all  the  storms  here  are  rain, 
with  rare  exceptions.     The  autumn  rains  commence, 


274  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

usually,  in  November — sometimes  not  till  December — 
and  the  wet  season  continues  until  April,  or  possibly 
till  May ;  not  without  interruptions,  however,  some- 
times of  a  month,  in  midwinter,  of  bright  weather. 
About  the  middle  of  June  the  Columbia  River  is  high, 
and  during  the  flood  there  are  generally  frequent  flying 
showers.  After  the  flood  is  abated,  there  is  seldom 
any  rain  until  September,  when  showers  commence 
again,  and  prove  very  welcome,  after  the  long,  warm, 
but  wholly  delightful  summer.  The  annual  rain  -  fall 
of  the  Wallamet  Valley  ranges  from  thirty -five  to 
fifty  inches.  In  the  Umpqua  and  Rogue  River  valleys 
it  is  less ;  and  at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia,  and 
along  the  coast,  both  north  and  south,  it  is  more.  At 
Steilacoom,  on  the  Sound,  it  is  fifty -three  inches. 
From  a  weather -record  of  over  ten  years,  kept  at 
Portland,  the  lowest  point  in  the  Wallamet  Valley, 
we  clip  the  following  summing  up  : 

Pleasant.  Baisy.         Variable.     Snowy. 

1858— 9  months 180  48  43  4 

1859 228  73  47  17 

1860 232  72  57  5 

1861 224  70  61  10 

1862 250  47  62  16 

18G3 220  82  55  8 

1864 252  60  47  7 

1865 227  65  63  10 

1866 230  73  59  3 

1867 244  65  49  7 

1868 272  30  55  9 

2559  685  588  96 

"Sixty -five per  cent,  of  the  above  days  were^  without  rain  or 
snow. 

"Notes. — Ice  formed  December  2d,  1858.  In  1859,  ponds  were 
frozen  over  at  times  till  March  1st — ice  never  over  two  inches 
thick ;  very  little  cold  weather  in  December,  1859 ;  no  ice  to 
speak  of. 

"January  24th,  1860,  the  ground  froze  for  the  first  time  this 


CLIMATE   OF   OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 


275 


winter — first  ice  January  26th.  Ice  and  frost  all  gone  Febniary 
1st.  I  planted  potatoes  Februaiy  6tli ;  on  the  17th  planted 
onion -sets  nud  onion -seeds  ;  April  26th,  planted  corn. 

"January  2d,  1862,  Columbia  River  frozen  so  that  the  ocean 
steamer  could  not  run;  thermometer  sixteen  degrees  below  freez- 
ing-point. January  8th,  snow  a  foot  deep;  excellent  sleighing. 
On  the  17th,  Wallamet  frozen  hard  enough  to  cross  on  foot.  On 
24th,  ice  gone  out  of  Wallamet  River.  March  10th,  snow  all 
disappeared. 

"January  7th,  1868,  Columbia  River  closed  with  ice.  On  the 
11th  "Wallamet  closed  over  so  as  to  stop  the  steamers  running  to 
Oregon  City,  until  the  28th.  No  rain  fell  from  the  1st  of  July  to 
September  3d — 63  days — and  then  none  again  till  October  23d." 

The  librarian  of  the  Portland  Library  Association 
furnishes  us  with  the  following,  for  the  year  1870  : 


Months. 


Januaiy  . . . 
February  . . 

March 

April 

May 

June 

July 

August  .... 
September . 
October. . . . 
November. . 
December. . 


Mean 
Barom . 

Snow.         Rain. 

.50      4.86 

29.71 

.  . .       4.30 

29.83 

9.50      4.30 

30.01 

. . .       4.30 

30.03 

...       1.95 

30.02 

. . .       1.95 

30.02 

.20 

29.95 

.20 

30.01 

.45 

30.15 

.55 

30.09 

. . .       6.05 

30.12 

. . .       4.40 

Highest 

Lowest 

Mean 

Temp. 

Temp. 

Temp. 

63^ 

21° 

42° 

58^ 

32° 

42  ° 

63  c> 

18° 

43° 

80° 

41° 

54° 

87  o 

45° 

59° 

95° 

55° 

66° 

102°' 

61° 

73° 

97°; 

57° 

72° 

91  °| 

53° 

68° 

77° 

36° 

54° 

66° 

37° 

48° 

61° 

18° 

38° 

Rainy- 
Days. 

16 
18 
14 
12 

7 

4 

1 

1 

3 

2 

7 
12 


"Number  of  rainy  days,  97;  number  of  snowy  days,  4;  total 
rain-fall,  33.50  inches  —  equal  to  2  feet  9  5-10  inches:  total 
snow-fall,  10  inches." 

The  mean  annual  temperature  at  Corvallis,  eighty 
miles  south  of  Portland,  is  fifty-three  degrees.  At  the 
mouth  of  the  Columbia,  it  is  fifty  -  two  degrees  two 
minutes  ;  and  at  Steilacoom,  fifty  degrees  eight  min- 
utes. Mean  winter  temperature  of  the  Sound,  forty- 
one  degrees ;  mean  summer  temperature,  sixty  -  two 
degrees. 


276  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

East  of  the  Cascades,  the  arrangement  of  the  sea- 
sons is  somewhat  different.  There  is  much  less  rain, 
which  comes  in  showers,  rather  than  in  a  steady  fall ; 
and  is  confined  to  the  months  between  September  and 
June.  Occasionally,  snow  falls  to  the  depth  of  a  few 
inches ;  and  in  some  winters  has  remained  on  the 
ground  a  number  of  weeks.  The  heat  of  summer  and 
the  cold  of  winter  are  each  more  extreme,  but  not  at 
their  highest  or  lowest  degrees  so  trying  as  the  same 
amount  of  heat  or  cold  would  be  in  a  moister  atmos- 
phere. The  autumn  months  in  this  portion  of  the 
county  are  most  delightful,  with  the  thermometer 
ranging  from  fifty -five  degrees  to  seventy.  The  phe- 
nomenon of  the  plains  is  the  periodical  warm  wind 
which  comes  from  the  south  —  perhaps  from  the  Cali- 
fornia valleys — and  blows  over  their  whole  extent,  up 
to  the  forty-ninth  parallel.  The  following  is  the  mean 
temperature  for  the  different  seasons,  as  well  as  for 
the  year : 

Spring.        Summer.         Autumn.         'Winter.  Mean, 

WallaWalla,  W.  T....  51.9        73.1  53.6        41.1        53.2 

Dalles,  0 53.0        70.3        52.21        35.6        52.8 

A  country  like  Eastern  Oregon  and  Washington, 
without  marshes  or  any  local  causes  of  miasma  ;  with 
a  clear,  dry  atmosphere,  warmed  by  the  sun,  and 
cooled  by  the  vicinity  of  snow  mountains,  could  never 
be  unhealthy.  Only  the  most  reckless  disregard  of 
health  can  occasion  disease  in  a  climate  so  naturally 
free  from  miasmatic  poison  as  this.  Western  Oregon 
and  Washington  may  be  said  to  be  equally  healthful ; 
with  this  difiercnco,  that  during  the  rainy  season 
those  who  are  already  invalids  are  liable  to  greater 
depression  of  the  vital  powers  by  reason  of  the  con- 
tinuous wet  weather.     Even  a  well  person,  of  a  pecul- 


CLIMATE    OF    OREGON    AND    WASHINGTON.  277 

iarly  sensitive  temperament,  may  sufTer  from  the  same 
cause.  But  the  age  attained  by  the  original  settlers 
of  the  country,  shows  well  for  the  general  salubrity 
of  the  climate  of  every  portion  of  it.  The  rate  of 
mortality  for  Oregon  in  1860  was  one  in  173  —  the 
lowest  death-rate  in  any  of  the  States.  In  1870  it 
was  one  in  155,  or  about  the  same  as  Minnesota. 

One  peculiarity  of  the  climate  of  every  part  of  Ore- 
gon and  Washington,  is,  the  comparative  coolness  of 
the  nights.  No  matter  how  warm  the  days  may  have 
been,  the  nights  always  bring  refreshing  sleep,  usually 
under  a  pair  of  blankets,  even  in  summer.  Nor  does 
the  heat,  however  great,  have  that  fatal  effect  which  it 
does  in  the  Atlantic  States.  Not  only  men,  but  cattle 
and  horses,  can  endure  to  labor  without  exhaustion  in 
the  hottest  days  of  summer;  and  sun -strokes  are  of 
very  rare  occurrence*    « 


CHAPTER    XXVII. 

FORESTS,  AND  LUMBERING. 

In  Oregon,  the  forests  are  found  almost  exclusively 
on  the  mountains.  Along  the  margins  of  streams 
there  is  usually  a  belt  of  timber  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in 
breadth.  On  the  Columbia,  this  belt,  even  on  the 
low  grounds,  is  wider ;  but  as  there  is  a  range  of  high- 
lands of  considerable  elevation  extending  from  the 
mouth  of  this  river  to  and  beyond  its  passage  through 
the  Cascade  Mountains,  with  only  occasional  depres- 
sions, there  is  a  great  body  of  timber  within  reach  of 
tide  -  water. 

The  base  of  the  Coast  Mountains  on  the  west  comes 
within  two  to  six  miles  of  the  sea,  and  frequent  spurs 
reach  quite  to  the  beach,  forming  higli  promontories. 
From  the  coast  to  the  eastern  base  of  the  Coast 
Mountains,  is  a  distance  of  from  twenty  to  thirty 
miles.  Allowing  for  the  margin  of  level  land  toward 
the  sea,  and  for  openings  among  the  foot-hills  on  the 
eastern  side,  here  is  an  immense  bod}^  of  forest  lands 
extending  the  whole  length  of  the  State,  from  north  to 
south. 

Again,  the  Cascade  Range  has  a  base  from  east  to 
west  of  about  forty  miles,  including  the  foot-hills. 
All  the  western  side  of  this  range  is  densely  wooded, 
making  another  great  supply  of  timber.  The  eastern 
side,  having  an  entirely  difTercnt  climate, xioes  not  sup- 
port the  same  heavy  growth  of  trees. 


FORESTS,    AND   LUMBERING.  279 

Those  forests  furnish  a  most  interesting  study  to  the 
botanist.  Beginning  our  observations  on  the  coast,  we 
find  that  near  the  sea  we  have,  for  the  characteristic 
tree,  the  black  spruce  (A.  MenziesU).  It  grows  to  a 
diameter  of  eight  feet,  and  to  a  considerable  height, 
though  not  the  tallest  of  the  spruces.  Its  branches 
commence  about  thirty  feet  from  the  ground,  growin"* 
densely ;  while  its  leaves,  unlike  the  other  species, 
grow  all  round  the  twig.  The  foliage  is  a  dark -green, 
with  a  bluish  cast.  The  bark  is  reddish,  and  scaly  ; 
and  the  cones,  which  grow  near  the  ends  of  the 
branches,- are  about  two  inches  in  length,  and  purplish 
in  color.  In  appearance,  it  resembles  the  Norway 
spruce.  It  loves  a  moist  climate  and  soil ;  growing  on 
brackish  marshes,  and  inundated  islands 

The  Oregon  cedar  f  Thuya  GiganteaJ  grows  very  abun- 
dantly near  the  coast.  This  tree  attains  to  a  very  great 
size,  being  often  from  twelve  to  fifteen  feet  in  diameter  ; 
but  is  not  so  high  as  the  spruce.  The  branches  com- 
mence about  twenty  feet  from  the  ground.  Above 
this  the  wood  is  exceedingly  knott}^;  but  the  lumber 
obtained  from  the  clear  portion  of  the  trunk  is  highly 
valued  for  finishing  work,  in  buildings,  as  it  is  light 
and  soft,  and  does  not  shrink  or  swell  like  spruce  lum- 
ber. For  shingles  and  rails  it  is  also  valuable,  from 
its  durability. 

The  Indians  make  canoes  of  the  cedar,  nearlj^  as  light 
and  elegant  as  the  famous  birch  canoes  of  more  north- 
ern tribes.  Formerly  they  built  houses  of  planks  split 
out  of  cedar,  with  no  better  instrument  than  a  stone 
axe  and  wedge.  An  axeman  can  split  enough  in  two 
or  three  days  to  build  himself  a  cabin.  This  tree  is 
nearly  allied  to  the  arbor  v'dai,  which  it  resembles  in 
foliage,  having  its  leaves  in  flat.sprays,  that  look  as  if 


280  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

they  had  been  pressed.  On  the  under  side  of  the 
spray  is  a  cluster  of  small  cones.  The  bark  is  thin, 
and  peels  off  in  long  strips,  which  are  used  by  the  In- 
dians to  make  matting,  and  a  kind  of  cloth  used  for 
mantles  to  shed  the  rain.  It  is  also  used  by  them  to 
roof  their  houses,  make  baskets,  etc.  Altogether,  it  is 
the  most  useful  tree  of  the  forest  to  the  native. 

Hemlock  spruce  f  Abies  Canadensis)  is  next  in  aoun- 
dance  near  the  coast.  It  grows  much  taller  than  the 
cedar,  often  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  and  has  a 
diameter  of  from  six  to  eight  feet.  The  color  is  lighter, 
and  the  foliage  finer,  than  that  which  grows  in  the  At- 
lantic States :  and  the  appearance  of  the  tree  is  very 
graceful  and  beautiful. 

Another  tree  common  to  the  «oast  is  the  Oregon 
yew  (Taxus  BrevifoliaJ.  It  is  not  very  abundant ; 
grows  to  a  height  of  thirty  feet,  and  flourishes  best  in 
damp  woods  and  marshy  situations.  The  wood  is  very 
tough,  and  used  by  the  Indians  for  arrows.  When 
much  exposed  to  the  sun,  in  open  places,  the  foliage 
takes  on  a  faded,  reddish  appearance.  It  bears  a  small, 
sweet,  coral-red  berry,  of  which  the  birds  are  very  fond. 

A  few  trees  of  the  red  fir  (Abies  DouglassiiJ  occur 
in  the  Coast  Mountains,  but  are  not  common  ;  also,  an 
occasional  white  spruce  fiWies  laxifoliaj,  and  north  of 
the  Columbia  small  groves  of  a  scrub  pine  fP.  Con- 
tortaj  appear  on  sandy  prairies  near  the-sea- beach.  It 
grows  only  about  forty  feet  high,  and  has  a  diameter 
of  two  feet- 

Of  the  broad -leaved,  deciduous  trees,  which  grow 
near  the  coast,  the  white  maple  fAcer  MacrophyllmnJ 
is  the  most  beautiful  and  useful.  It  grows  and  decays 
rapidly — the  mature  tree  attaining  to  the  height  of 
eighty  feet,  and  a  diameter  of  six  feet ;  then  decaying 


FORESTS,   AND    LUMBERIXG.  281 

from  the  centre  outward,  lets  its  branches  die  and  fall 
off,  while  from  the  root  other  new  trunks  spring  up, 
and  attain  a  considerable  size  in  four  or  five  years. 
The  wood  has  a  beautiful  grain,  and  is  valuable  for 
cabinet  manufactures,  taking  a  high  polish.  The  foli- 
age is  handsome,  being  very  broad,  and  of  a  light 
green.  In  the  spring  long  i^aciines  of  yellow  flowers 
give  the  tree  a  beautiful  and  ornamental  appearance, 
which  makes  it  sought  for  as  a  shade  tree. 

The  Oregon  alder  {Alnus  Oregona)  is  another  cabi- 
net-wood of  considerable  value.  The  tree  grows  to  a 
height  of  sixty  feet,  with  a  diameter  of  two  or  three 
feet.  It  has  a  whitish-gray  bark,  and  foliage  much  re- 
sembling the  elm.  On  short  stems,  near  the  ends  of 
the  branches,  are  clusters  of  very  small  cones,  not 
more  than  an  inch  in  length.  When  grown  in  open 
places,  with  sufficient  moisture,  it  is  a  graceful  and 
beautiful  tree. 

Two  species  of  poplar  are  found  near  the  coast — the 
Cottonwood  {Populus  Monillfera)  and  the  balsam -tree 
(^or  P.  AugustifoliaJ.  They  are  found  on  the  borders' 
of  streams,  and  by  the  side  of  ponds  or  springs ;  but 
not  so  abundant  near  the  coast  as  east  of  the  Coast 
Mountains. 

Along  the  banks  of  creeks  and  rivers  grows  one  kind 
of  willow  {Salix  Scouleriana) ,  about  thirty  feet  in  height, 
and  not  more  than  a  foot  in  diameter,  with  broad,  oval 
leaves  ;  of  very  little  value. 

The  vine  maple  (A.  Circinatum)  is  more  a  shrub  than 
a  tree,  seldom  growing  more  than  six  to  twelve  inches 
thick  near  the  ground  ;  and  not  more  than  twelve  to 
twenty,  rarely  thirty  feet  in  height.  It  grows  in  pros- 
trate thickets,  in  shaded  places,  twining  back  and  forth, 
and  in  every  direction.     The  wood  being  very  tough, 

19 


282  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

it  is  almost  impossible  to  get  through  them  ;  and  they 
form  one  of  the  most  serious  obstructions  to  survey- 
ing, or  hunting,  in  the  mountains.  The  leaf  is  parted 
in  seven  dentated  points,  and  is  of  a  light  green. 
These  bushes  make  a  handsome  thicket  at  any  time 
from  early  spring  to  late  autumn  —  being  ornamented 
with  small  red  flowers  in  spring,  and  with  brilliant  scar- 
let leaves  in  autumn. 

Another  shrubby  tree,  which  makes  dense  thickets 
in  low  or  overflowed  lands,  is  the  Oregon  crab -apple 
{Pirus  Rivularis).  This  really  pretty  tree  grows  in 
groves  of  twenty  feet  in  height,  and  so  closely  as  with 
its  tough,  thorny  branches  to  form  impenetrable  bar- 
riers against  any  but  the  smaller  animals  of  the  forest. 
The  fruit  is  small  and  good -flavored,  growing  in  clus- 
ters. The  tree  is  a  good  one  to  graft  upon,  being 
hardy  and  fine-grained. 

Another  tree  used  to  graft  on  is  the  wild  cherry 
{Cerasus  Mollis),  which  closely  resembles  the  cultivated 
kinds,  except  in  its  small  and  bitter  fruit.  In  open 
places  it  becomes  a  branching,  handsome  shade  tree, 
but  in  damp  ravines  sometimes  shoots  up  seventy  feet 
high,  having  its  foliage  all  near  the  top. 

When  we  undertake  to  pierce  the  woods  of  the  Coast 
Mountains,  we  find,  in  the  first  place,  the  ground  cov- 
ered as  thickly  as  they  can  stand  with  trees  from  three 
to  fourteen  feet  in  diameter  ;  and  from  seventy  to  three 
hundred  feet  in  height.  Wherever  there  is  room  made 
by  decay,  or  fire,  or  tempest,  springs  up  another  thicker 
growth,  of  which  the  most  fortunately  located  will 
live,  to  the  exclusion  of  the  others.  Every  ravine, 
creek,  margin,  or  springy  piece  of  ground  is  densely 
covered  with  vine-maple,  Cottonwood,  or  crab-apple. 

As  if  these  were  not  enough  for  the  soil  to  support, 


FORESTS,    AND    LUMBERING.  283 

every  interstice  is  filled  up  with  shrubs :  some  tough 
and  woody  ;  others,  of  the  vining  and  thorny  descrip- 
tion. Of  shrubs,  the  sallal  {GauUheria  ShaMon)  is  most 
abundant.  It  varies  greatly  in  height,  growing  seven 
or  eight  feet  tall  near  the  coast,  and  only  two  or  three 
in  the  forest.  The  stem  is  reddish,  the  leaves  glossy, 
green,  and  oval,  and  the  flower  pink.  Its  fruit  is  a 
berry  of  which  the  Indians  are  very  fond,  tasting  much 
like  summer  apple.     This  shrub  is  an  evergreen. 

Three  varieties  of  huckleberries  belong  to  the  same 
range — one  an  evergreen,  having  fruit  and  flowers  at 
the  same  time.  This  is  the  Vaccinium  Ovatmn,  with 
leaves  like  a  myrtle,  and  a  black,  rather  sweet  berry. 
The  second  has  a  very  slender  stalk,  small,  deciduous 
leaves,  and  small  acid  berries,  of  a  bright  scarlet  color. 
This  is  V.  OvalifoUum.  The  third — V.  ParvifoUum — 
resembles  more  the  huckleberry  of  the  Eastern  States, 
and  bears  a  rather  acid  blueberry.  In  favored  locali- 
ties these  are  as  fine  as  those  varieties  which  grow  in 
Massachusetts  or  Michigan.  In  addition  to  these  is  a 
kind  of  false  huckleberry,  bearing  no  fruit ;  and  a 
species  of  barberry,  resembling  that  found  in  New 
England. 

Of  gooseberries  there  are  also  three  varieties,  none  of 
them  producing  very  good  fruit.  They  are  Hibes  Laxi- 
florum^  Bracteosiim,  and  Lacustre. 

The  salmon  berry  (Ruhus  Spectdbills)  is  abundant  on 
high  banks,  and  in  openings  in  the  forest.  It  resem- 
bles the  yellow  raspberry. 

Of  plants  that  creep  on  the  ground  there  are  several 
varieties,  some  of  them  remarkably  pretty.  Of  wild 
roses,  sjyirea,  woodbine,  mock -orange,  thorn  bushes, 
and  other  familiar  shrubs,  there  are  plenty. 

The  Devil's  Walking-stick  {Echincyphaimx  ?wrridu7n) 


284  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

is  a  shrub  deserving  of  mention.  It  grows  to  the  height 
of  six  feet,  in  a  single,  thorny,  green  stem,  and  bears 
at  the  top  a  bunch  of  broad  leaves,  resembling  those 
of  the  white  maple.  When  encountered  in  dark  thick- 
ets it  is  sure  to  make  itself  felt,  if  not  seen.  Add  to 
all  that  has  gone  before,  great  ferns — from  two  to  four- 
teen feet  in  height,  with  tough  stems,  and  roots  far  in 
the  ground — and  we  have  the  earth  pretty  much  cov- 
ered from  sun  and  light. 

These  are  the  productions,  in  general,  of  the  most 
western  forests  of  Oregon.  When  we  try  to  penetrate 
such  tropical  jungles,  we  wonder  that  any  animals  of 
much  size — like  the  elk,  deer,  bear,  panther,  and  cou- 
gar— get  through  them.  Nor  do  all  these  inhabit  the 
thickest  portions  of  the  forest,  but  the  elk,  deer,  and 
bear  keep  near  the  occasional  small  prairies  which  oc- 
cur in  the  mountains,  and  about  the  edges  of  clearings 
among  the  foot-hills,  except  when  driven  by  fear  to 
hide  in  the  dark  recesses  of  the  woods.  In  the  fall  of 
the  year,  when  the  acorn  crop  is  good  in  the  valley  be- 
tween the  Coast  and  Cascade  mountains,  great  num- 
bers of  the  black  bear  are  killed  by  the  farmers  who 
live  near  the  mountains. 

As  this  region  just  described  is,  so  is  the  whole 
mountain  system  of  Western  Oregon  and  Washington. 
Along  the  eastern  slope  of  the  Coast  Range,  around 
Puget  Sound,  along  the  Columbia  highlands  above  a 
point  forty  miles  from  its  mouth,  and  on  the  western 
slope  of  the  Cascades,  the  same  luxuriance  of  growth 
prevails.  Indeed,  nearly  all  the  trees  enumerated  — 
the  black  spruce  and  scrub  pine  are  exceptions — be- 
long equally  to  the  more  eastern  region.  And  the 
same  of  the  shrubs. 

But  in  this  more  eastern  portion  grow  some  trees 


FORESTS,   AND   LIBIBERING.  285 

that  will  not  flourish  in  the  soil  and  climate  of  the 
coast.  Of  those  the  most  important  is  the  red  fir 
[Abies  Douglassii.)  Very  extensive  forests  of  it  inhabit 
the  mountain -sides  and  Columbia  River  highlands. 
It  grows  to  a  great  height,  its  branches  commencing 
fifty  feet  from  the  ground.  The  bark  is  thick,  and 
deeply  furrowed  ;  the  leaves  rather  coarse,  and  the 
cone  is  distinguished  from  other  species  by  having 
three -pointed  bracts  between  the  scales. 

The  red  fir  is  more  used  for  lumber  than  any  other 
kind,  though  it  is  of  a  coarse  grain  and  shrinks  very 
much.  It  is  tough  and  durable,  if  kept  dry.  It  is  a 
very  resinous  wood,  from  which  cause  large  tracts  of  it 
are  burnt  off  every  year.  Yet  it  keeps  fire  so  badly  in 
the  coals,  that  there  is  little  danger  of  the  cinders 
carrying  fire  when  buildings  constructed  of  it  are 
burned  :  it  goes  out  before  it  alights. 

The  yellow  fir  [A.  Orandis)  is  also  a  tree  which  does 
not  like  sea -air,  and  is  very  valuable  for  lumber.  It 
is  distinguishable  at  a  distance  by  its  superior  height, 
often  over  three  hundred  feet,  and  by  the  short 
branches  of  the  top,  which  give  it  a  cylindrical  shape. 
It  is  admirably  adapted  for  masts  and  spars,  being 
fine-grained,  tough,  and  elastic.  The  best  of  lumber 
is  made  from  this  fir,  and  large  quantities  of  it  ex- 
ported from  the  Columbia  River.  The  bark  of  the 
yellow  fir  is  smoother,  not  so  deeply  furrowed  as  the 
red,  and  the  oval  cone  is  destitute  of  bracts. 

Of  foliaceous  trees  not  found  on  the  coast,  is  the 
oak  [Quercus  Garryana),  which  does  not  attain  a  very 
great  size,  not  growing  more  than  fifty  feet  high,  ex- 
cept in  rich,  alluvial  lands,  where  they  attain  fine 
dimensions.  Another  and  smaller  scrub -oak  {Quercus 
Kellogia)   is  common,  and  the  wood  is  good  for  axe- 


286  OREGON    AND    WASHINGTON. 

helves,  hoops,  and  similar  uses.  The  wood  of  the  larger 
variety  is  used  for  making  staves,  and  the  bark  for 
tanning. 

Of  all  the  trees  growing  along  water -courses,  the 
Oregon  ash  (Fraxinus  Oregoim)  is  the  most  beautiful. 
In  size,  it  compares  closely  with  the  white  maple.  Its 
foliage  is  of  a  light  yellow -green,  the  leaves  being  a 
narrow  oval.  Like  the  maple,  it  has  clusters  of 
whitish -yellow  flowers,  which  add  greatly  to  its  grace 
and  delicacy  of  coloring.  The  wood  is  fine-grained, 
and  is  useful  for  manufacturing  purposes 

A  little  back  from  the  river,  yet  quite  near  it,  we 
find  the  Oregon  dogwood  {Cornus  JSfuttalii).  It  is  a 
much  handsomer  tree  than  the  dogwood  of  the  At- 
lantic States,  making,  when  in  full  flower  and  in  favored 
situations,  as  fine  a  display  of  broad,  silvery  -  white 
blossoms  as  the  magnolia  of  the  Southern  States.  As 
an  ornamental  tree,  it  can  not  be  surpassed  ;  having  a 
fresh  charm  each  season,  from  the  white  blossoms  of 
spring,  to  the  pink  leaves  of  late  summer,  and  the 
scarlet  berries  of  autumn.  Its  ordinary  height  is  thirty 
or  forty  feet,  but,  in  moist  ravines  and  thick  woods,  it 
stretches  up  toward  the  light  until  it  is  seventy  feet 
high. 

A  poplar  not  found  near  the  coast,  is  the  American 
aspen  (P.  Tremuhides) .  Small  groves  of  this  beautiful 
tree  are  found  about  ponds  on  the  high  ground,  espe- 
cially where  water  stands  through  the  rainy  season,  in 
hollows  which  arc  dry  in  summer. 

A  very  ornamental  wild  cherry,  peculiar  to  Oregon 
— a  species  of  choke -cherry — is  found  near  water- 
courses. The  flowers  are  arranged  in  cylindrical  ra- 
cimes,  of  the  length  of  three  or  four  inches,  are  white, 
and  very  fragrant.      It  flowers   early   in  the  spring, 


FORESTS,   AND    LUMBERING.  287 

at  the  same  time  with  the  service -berry,  wlion  tlio 
woody  thickets  along  the  rivers  are  gleaming  with 
their  snowy  sprays. 

A  broad  -  leafed  evergreen  is  the  arbutus  [A.  Men- 
ziesii),  commonly  called  laurel,  which  is  found  in  the 
forests  of  the  middle  region  from  Puget  Sound,  north 
of  the  Columbia,  to  California  and  Mexico.  In  Span- 
ish countries  it  is  known  as  the  madrono -tree.  The 
trunk  is  from  one  foot  to  four  feet  in  thickness,  and 
when  old  is  generally  twisted.  The  bark  undergoes  a 
change  of  color  annually  ;  the  old,  dark,  mahogany- 
colored  bark  scaling  off,  as  the  new,  bright,  cinnamon- 
colored  one  replaces  it.  The  leaves  are  a  long  oval, 
of  a  bright,  rich  green,  and  glossy.  It  flowers  in  the 
spring,  and  bears  scarlet  berries  in  autumn  —  resem- 
bling those  of  the  mountain  ash.  Altogether,  it  is 
one  of  the  handsomest  of  American  trees. 

On  the  slopes  of  the  Cascade  Mountains  is  found  a 
beautiful  tree  —  the  western  chinquapin  —  the  flower 
and  fruit  resembling  the  chestnut.  Though  commonly 
only  a  shrub,  it  here  attains  a  height  of  thirty  feet. 
This  tree  is  the  Castanea  chnjsophijMa  of  Douglas 

A  ver)^  peculiar  and  ornamental  shrub,  is  the  holly- 
leaved  barberry  [Berberis  aquifolium).  It  has  rather  a 
vining  stalk,  from  two  to  eight  feet  high,  with  leaves 
shaped  like  holly  leaves,  but  arranged  in  two  rows,  on 
stems  of  eight  or  ten  inches  in  length.  It  is  an  ever- 
green, although  it  seems  to  cast  off  some  of  its  foliage 
in  the  fall  to  renew  it  in  the  spring.  While  preparing 
to  fall,  the  leaves  take  the  most  brilliant  hues  of  any 
in  the  forest,  and  shine  as  if  varnished.  The  fruit 
is  a  small  cluster  of  very  acid  berries,  of  a  dark, 
bluish  purple,  about  the  size  of  the  wild  grape,  from 
which  it  takes  its  vulgar  name  of  "Oregon  grape." 


288  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

It  is  very  generally  removed  into  gardens  for  orna- 
ment. 

In  damp  places  away  from  the  rivers,  grows  the  rose- 
colored  spirea  (S.  Bouglassii) ,  in  close  thickets;  and 
is  commonly  known  as  hardhack.  Near  such  swamps 
are  others  of  wild  roses  of  several  varieties,  all  beau- 
tiful. 

It  is  almost  impossible  to  give  the  names  of  the 
numerous  kinds  of  trees  and  shrubs  which  grow  in 
close  proximity  in  the  forests  of  Oregon.  Beginning 
at  the  river's  brink,  we  have  willows,  from  the  red 
cornel,  whose  crimson  stems  are  so  beautiful,  to  the 
coarse,  broad  -  leafed  0.  Pubescens,  ash,  cottonwood, 
and  balsam -poplar.  On  the  low  ground,  roses,  crab- 
apple,  buckthorn,  wild  cherry.  A  little  higher,  ser- 
vice-berry, wild  cherry  again,  red -flowering  currant, 
white  spirm,  mock -orange,  honeysuckle,  low  black- 
berry, raspberry,  dogwood,  arbutus,  barberry,  snow- 
berry,  hazel,  elder,  and  alder.  Gradually  mixing  with 
these,  as  they  leave  the  line  of  high -water,  begin  the 
various  firs,  which  will  not  grow  with  their  roots  in 
water.  As  the  forest  increases  in  density,  the  flower- 
ing shrubs  become  more  rare  ;  re-appearing  at  the  first 
opening. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  exaggerate  the  beauty  of 
such  masses  of  luxuriant  and  flowering  shrubbery  cov- 
ering the  shores  of  the  streams.  Even  the  great  walls 
of  basalt,  which  are  frequently  exposed  along  the  Co- 
lumbia, are  so  overgrown  with  minute  ferns,  and  vivid- 
green  mosses,  and  vines,  as  to  be  much  more  beautiful 
and  picturesque  than  they  are  forbidding. 

In  Southern  Oregon,  the  botany  of  the  forest 
changes  perceptibly,  some  species  of  the  Columbia 
River  disappearing,  and  others  taking  their  place  ;  the 


FORESTS,   AND   LUMBERING.  289 

change  being  accounted  for  by  the  greater  elevation  of 
the  country,  and  the  superior  dryness  of  the  climate. 

There  are  several  pines  common  to  this  more  south- 
ern region :  the  sugar  pine  (P.  Lamhertina) ,  balsam  fir 
{P.  Grandis),  and  P.  Contorta,  or  twistod  inno.  Besides 
these,  the  manzanita  {Ardor staphybs,  Glauca)  ZiHd  Rhodo- 
dendron maximus  belong  to  the  southern  portion  of  the 
State. 

The  game  natural  to  forests  and  mountains  is  more 
abundant  also  in  the  southern  ranges  ;  and,  from  the 
greater  frequency  of  open  or  prairie  spots  in  the 
mountains,  much  more  easily  hunted. 

The  eastern  side  of  the  Cascade  Range  is  but  thinly 
timbered,  and  that  with  the  yellow  pine  (P.  Ponderosa), 
which  has  a  trunk  from  three  to  five  feet  thick,  and 
attains  an  average  height  of  a  hundred  feet.  The 
foliage  of  this  pine  is  scattering,  coarse,  and  longer 
than  that  of  the  Eastern  varieties.  Few  shrubs  grow 
on  this  slope  of  the  mountains ;  and  tlie  smootli, 
grassy  terraces  have  more  the  appearance  of  culti- 
vated parks  than  of  natural  forest.  Along  the  streams 
of  Eastern  Oregon  arc  but  few  trees;  generally  the  wil- 
low, alder,  cottonwood,  and  birch. 

Upon  the  greater  elevations  of  the  eastern  slope,  the 
western  larch  {Larix  occidentalis)  appears  quite  fre- 
quently. It  is  a  large  tree,  tall  and  slender,  with  short 
branches,  leaves  long  and  slender,  and  foliage  of  a 
pale,  bluish  green,  light  and  feathery. 

More  rarely  occurs,  in  peculiar  situations,  the  silver 
fir  (Pinus  amdbilis)^  so  called  from  the  silvery  appear- 
ance of  the  under  side  of  the  dark -green  foliage.  The 
cones  grow  erect  near  the  summit  of  the  tree,  and  are 
of  a  size  of  six  inches  by  two  and  a  half,  of  a  dark- 
purple   color,    and   rather   smooth   appearance.      The 


290  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

mountain  ash  also  occurs,  at  rare  intervals,  in  the  Cas- 
cade Mountains. 

Possibly  there  are  other  trees  and  shrubs  not  men- 
tioned here.  Our  intention  has  been  to  make  the 
reader  acquainted  with  the  general  features  of  an  Ore- 
gon forest  ;  and  if  we  have  not  failed  in  our  intention, 
a  comparison  of  our  notes  with  the  trees  which  com- 
pose one  will  enable  him  to  identify  most  of  them. 
For  their  botanical  classilication,  we  are  indebted  to 
the  botanist  of  the  Railroad  Exploring  Expedition. 

Washington  Territory  contains  more  large  bodies  of 
timber  standing  on  level  ground,  than  Oregon  does. 
An  immense  extent  of  fir  and  cedar  forest  encircles 
the  whole  Sound,  and  borders  all  the  rivers,  besides 
that  which  is  found  on  the  foot-  hills  of  the  Cascade 
and  Coast  ranges.  It  is  estimated  that  three -fourths 
of  Western  Washington  is  covered  with  forest,  a  large 
proportion  of  which  is  the  finest  timber  in  the  world, 
for  size  and  durability.  It  is  nothing  unusual  to  find 
a  piece  of  several  thousand  acres  of  fir,  averaging  three 
and  a  half  feet  in  diameter  at  the  stump,  and  standing 
two  hundred  feet  without  a  limb — the  tops  being  sev- 
enty feet  higher.  Three  hundred  feet  is  not  an  ex- 
traordinary growth  in  Washington  Territory. 

It  would  be  impossible,  in  speaking  of  the  forests 
of  Oregon  and  Washington,  to  pass  in  silence  the  sub- 
ject of  their  commercial  importance.  It  is  estimated 
that  the  area  of  forest  land  in  Oregon  and  Washington 
covers  65,000  square  miles.  Not  all  of  this  timber  is 
accessible,  nor  all  of  it  valuable  for  market,  and  yet 
the  quantity  is  immense  that  is  marketable.  Puget 
Sound  exports  annually  from  100,000,000  to  350,000,- 
000  feet  of  lumber  ;  the  Columbia  River,  20,000,000  ; 
and  the  mills  along  the  Oregon  coast,  about  35,000,000. 


FORESTS.    AND   LUMBERING.  291 

The  Portland  mills  manufacture  jointly  7,600,000 
feet  per  annum,  which  is  all  consumed  by  the  home 
demand  ;  besides  large  quantities  of  planking  for 
streets,  which  is  furnished  by  the  St.  Helen  mill,  on 
the  Columbia  River.  The  amount  manufactured  all 
over  the  country,  for  home  consumption,  can  hardly  be 
correctly  estimated,  yet  must  amount  to  75,000,000 
more.  This  seems  an  enormous  sum  total  for  a  com- 
paratively new  country ;  and  suggests  the  possibility 
of  sometime  exhausting  even  the  great  timber  supply 
of  Oregon  and  Washington.  The  amount  manufact- 
ured by  the  mills  of  the  Oregon  and  California  Rail- 
road, for  the  construction  and  equipment  of  that  road, 
can  hardly  be  estimated.  One  of  their  mills  is  capa- 
ble of  cutting  400,000  feet  per  week. 

The  kinds  of  timber  adapted  to  lumbering  purposes 
are  known  as  the  red,  white,  and  yellow  fir,  cedar, 
hemlock,  and,  in  some  localities,  pine  and  larch.  The 
red  fir  constitutes  the  great  bulk  of  common  lumber  ; 
the  yellow  fir  is  used  where  strength  and  elasticity  are 
required,  as  in  spars  of  vessels,  piles,  wharves,  bridges, 
and  house  -  building ;  and  cedar  for  foundations  of 
houses,  fence -posts,  and  inside  finishing  of  houses. 

The  cabinet -woods  are  maple,  alder,  and  arbutus. 
There  is  oak  for  staves,  and  other  purposes  ;  but  noth- 
ing that  answers  for  wagon -making  grows  on  these 
mountains.  Hemlock  becomes  valuable  as  furnishing 
bark  for  tanning  leather.  Ash  is  used  for  some  me- 
chanical purposes  ;  and  makes  excellent  fire -wood. 

The  red  fir  is  very  resinous,  and  might  be  made  val- 
uable for  its  pitch.  The  quality  of  Oregon  turpentine 
is  superior  ;  but  owing  to  the  high  freights  and  high 
rates  of  labor  on  this  coast,  has  not  heretofore  proven 
profitable  as  an  export.     It  is  common  to  find  a  de- 


292  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

posit  of  dried  pitch  or  resin  in  the  trunks  of  large  fir- 
trees — especially  those  that  have  grown  on  rocky  soil — 
of  one  to  two  inches  in  thickness,  either  forming  a 
layer  quite  round  the  heart  of  the  tree,  or  extending 
for  fifty  feet  up  through  the  tree,  in  a  square  "stick." 

Trees  that  have  been  destroyed  by  fire  have  their 
roots  soaked  full  of  black  pitch  or  tar ;  and  even  the 
branches  of  growing  trees  drop  little  globules  of  clear, 
white  pitch  on  the  ground.  This  wood  makes  excellent 
charcoal ;  in  the  burning  of  which  a  great  deal  of  tar 
might  be  saved,  by  providing  for  its  being  run  off  from 
the  pit.  There  is  also  plenty  of  willow  wood  for 
making  charcoal,  growing  on  all  the  bottom-lands. 

From  the  figures  given,  it  will  be  seen  that  Washing- 
ton Territory  exports,  at  the  lowest  estimate,  double 
the  lumber  of  Oregon.  Puget  Sound  has  unrivaled 
facilities  for  that  branch  of  business ;  and  has  not 
much  of  an  agricultural  population  adjacent  to  it. 
Oregon,  on  the  contrary,  is  chiefly  agricultural,  yet 
not  without  excellent  facilities  for  the  manufacture  of 
lumber.  It  will  take  years  of  lumber -making  along 
the  Columbia,  and  the  rivers  and  bays  of  the  Coast 
Range,  to  clear  even  a  mile  of  water-front  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  one  mill.  This  is  why  fires  are  suffered  to 
destroy  so  much  fine  timber  every  year :  the  farmers 
can  not  get  the  heavy  growth  oflf  the  land  in  any  other 
way. 

It  follows,  of  course,  that  where  the  supply  is  so 
great  the  price  is  correspondingly  small.  At  some 
country  mills,  run  by  water-power,  lumber  can  be  ob- 
tained for  nine  dollars  per  thousand  feet.  At  Port- 
land, where  they  are  all  run  by  steam,  the  prices  range 
thus:  Street  planking,  $11  to  $12  ;  common  lumber, 
$14  to  $15  ;  siding,  $20  to  $21  ;  flooring,  $26  to  $28  ; 


FORESTS,   AND   LUMBERING.  293 

and  miscellaneous  dressed  lumber,  from  $20  to  $31. 
The  Columbia  River  mills  are  not  at  so  much  expense 
in  getting  logs,  and  consequently  sell  at  figures  some- 
what lower. 

The  cost  of  manufacturing  lumber  depends  very 
much  upon  the  location  of  the  mills.  Those  that  are 
situated  on  a  navigable  river,  slough,  or  bay,  near  a 
fine  tract  of  fir  or  cedar,  or  both,  have  greatly  the  ad- 
vantage ;  and  there  are  plenty  such  locations  along  the 
Lower  Columbia.  The  St.  Helen  mill,  for  instance, 
gets  logs  rafted  from  Scappoose  Bay,  Lewis  River,  or 
the  Columbia,  from  tracts  of  good  timber  from  three  to 
twelve  miles  distant.  There  are  splendid  bodies  of  cedar 
upon  Lewis  River ;  also,  near  the  Columbia,  two  or 
three  miles  below  St.  Helen;  and  fir  all  around — on 
all  the  tributaries,  and  on  the  great  river  itself.  The 
Rainier  and  Oak  Point  mills  are  in  the  midst  of  tim- 
ber ;  and  so  of  those  on  the  coast. 

The  price  of  logs  in  the  raft  is  from  $3.50  to  $5  per 
M.,  where  it  is  necessary  to  purchase  them.  Labor  is 
worth  from  $2  to  $5  per  day,  according  to  the  grade  ; 
all  expenses  estimated  in  gold  coin.  Timbered  lands, 
conveniently  located,  are  held  at  from  $8  to  $15  per 
acre ;  biit  there  is  plenty  of  Government  land  within 
two  or  three  miles  of  the  Columbia.  Mill -owners 
generally  contract  for  logs  to  be  delivered  at  their 
mills,  instead  of  buying  up  forest  lands.  The  logging 
business  is  a  very  profitable  one,  being  attended  with 
little  expense  besides  the  cutting  of  the  logs.  There 
are  in  all  Oregon,  as  nearly  as  can  be  estimated,  one 
hundred  and  fifty  -  three  saw  -  mills  ;  thirty  -  eight  being 
run  by  steam.  Of  the  mills  of  Washington  Territory 
there  are  not  so  many,  but  much  larger  ones,  being 
chiefly  engaged  in  making  lumber  for  export. 


CHAPTER  XXYTII. 

BOTANY    OF    THE    PRAIRIES. 

Many  of  the  flowering  shrubs  of  Oregon  and  Wash- 
ington have  already  been  mentioned  in  the  chapter  on 
Forests.  One  of  the  first  to  blossom  is  the  red  flower- 
ing currant  {Mibes  sangumerum) ,  which  puts  forth  its 
flowers  before  its  leaves  are  fully  expanded,  like  the 
Judas-tree  of  the  Missouri  Valley,  which  it  resembles 
in  color.  There  appear  to  be  two  or  three  varieties  of 
this  species,  as  the  color  varies  from  a  pale  rose  color 
to  a  full  crimson.  The  flower  is  arranged  in  clusters 
upon  a  slender  stem,  like  the  green  blossoms  of  the 
garden  currant ;  but  is  much  larger,  and  of  a  different 
shape.  The  bush  is  highly  ornamental  when  in  blos- 
som, and  generally  introduced  into  gardens  for  decora- 
tion. It  flowers  in  March.  East  of  the  Cascades  is  a 
yellow  species  very  similar.  Both  of  these  grow  near 
streams,  and  in  the  edge  of  the  forest. 

Of  the  spirea,  there  are  several  species.  The  wax- 
berry,  with  its  tiny  pink  flowers  and  delicate  leaves,  is 
found  in  bottom-lands  and  on  river-banks.  In  autumn 
the  bottoms  of  the  Columbia  furnish  thickets  of  wax- 
berries,  which,  growing  side  by  side  with  the  wild 
roses,  make  a  pretty  contrast  to  the  crimson  capsules 
of  the  latter.  In  higher  ground,  yet  subject  to  over- 
flow, is  found  the  Spirea  tomautosa,  or  hardback,  as  it 
is  commonly  called,  which  grows  in  thickets,  and  bears 
a  cluster  of  a  purplish-pink  oolor.     But  the  most  beau- 


BOTANY    OF   THE    PRAIRIES.  295 

tiful  of  the  spireas  is  the  kind  known  as  sea -foam  (.S'. 
Aricefolia),  which  its  great,  creamy-white  chisters  really 
resemble.  This  grows  along  the  river- banks,  and  in 
the  shade  of  the  forest's  edge,  and  blooms  in  June  and 
July,  according  to  its  locality.  It  sometimes  grows  to 
a  height  of  twenty  feet,  in  the  shade,  though  usually 
about  five  or  six  feet  high.  The  stems  are  very  deli- 
cate, like  all  the  spireas,  and  bend  most  gracefully  with 
the  weight  of  the  clusters. 

Side  by  side,  usually,  with  the  last-named  spirea  is 
the  beautiful  mock -orange  {Philadelphus) ,  with  its  sil- 
very-white flowers  crowding  the  delicate  green  leaves 
out  of  sight.  Throughout  Oregon  this  shrub  is  called 
syringa,  to  which  family  it  does  not  belong.  It  is  very 
ornamental,  and  blooms  in  June  and  July. 

Of  wild  roses  there  are  several  species,  and  many 
varieties,  from  the  dainty  little  "dime  rose,"  of  a  pale 
pink  color,  to  the  large  and  fragrant  crimson  rose,  which 
grows  in  overflowed  ground.  There  are  always  some 
roses  to  be  found,  from  June  to  December.  It  is  usual 
to  find  the  shrubs  here  mentioned  growing  in  close 
proximity  ;  and  these,  with  the  flowers  of  the  wood- 
bine {Lonicera  Occidentalis) ,  and  the  blossoms  of  vari- 
ous kinds  of  wild  fruit  trees,  make  a  perfect  tangle  of 
bloom  and  sweetness  along  the  river-banks  in  summer. 

We  have  elsewhere  spoken  of  the  dogwood,  which 
is  as  handsome  as  a  magnolia-tree  when  in  blossom; 
and  of  the  wild  cherries  and  other  fruits  whose  flowers 
are  sweet  and  beautiful.  The  Oregon  grape,  or  holly- 
leaved  barberry,  bears  a  flower  that  is  very  ornamental, 
of  a  bright  yellow  color,  in  clusters  a  finger  long. 
The  leaves  of  this  shrub  are  also  very  beautiful,  which 
makes  it  desirable  to  cultivate.  Its  fruit  is  ripe  in  Au- 
gust, and  is  of  a  bluish-purple,  like  the  damson  plum. 


296  OREGON   AND    WASHINGTON. 

In  Southern  Oregon,  the  Rhododendron  7naximum  is  one 
of  the  glories  of  the  mountain -tops,  with  its  immense 
branches  of  rose -colored  flowers.  It  is  occasionally 
seen  in  gardens.  The  buff- colored  Azalea  occidentalis 
is  also  confined  to  the  southern  and  eastern  portions 
of  Oregon.  It  is  said  that  the  clematis  grows  east  of 
the  Cascades,  but  we  have  not  seen  it ;  and  also  the 
ilex -leaved  mahonia.  The  wild  grape  {Vitis  Califor- 
nica)  is  another  shrub  or  vine  which  is  confined  to  the 
southern  portion  of  Oregon.  In  the  Rogue  River 
Valley,  in  October,  it  is  a  striking  ornament  in  the 
landscape;  the  foliage  being  turned  a  rich  ruby -red 
color,  and  forming  clumps  upon  the  ground,  or  hang- 
ing pendent  from  way -side  trees.  It  does  not  seem, 
however,  to  furnish  much  fruit. 

Of  field  flowers,  there  are  a  great  many  in  all  parts 
of  Oregon  and  Washington  ;  beginning  with  the  early 
spring  to  beautify  the  earth,  and  kind  succeeding 
kind  throughout  the  summer  and  autumn.  There  are, 
especially  near  the  Columbia,  where  the  soil  which 
covers  the  rocks  is  often  a  thin,  black  mold,  countless 
varieties  and  species  of  very  minute  flowers,  so  small 
frequently  as  to  need  a  microscope  to  analyze  them 
successfully  ;  but  of  lovely  shapes  and  colors.  We 
have  found  within  the  range  of  an  acre  forty  kinds  of 
flowering  plants  in  the  month  of  July,  half  of  them  of 
this  minute  size. 

Of  the  plants  peculiar  to  the  North-west  which  bear 
handsome  flowers,  the  Camas  family  is  prominent. 
The  Camasia  esadenta,  or  edible  camas,  of  whose  roots 
the  Indians  make  bread,  grows  about  eighteen  inches 
high,  and  bears  at  top  a  bunch  of  star- shaped  flowers, 
of  a  beautiful  lavender  color,  with  a  golden  centre. 
The  leaves  grow  from  the  root,  and  are  lanceolate. 


BOTANY   OF   THE   PRAIRIES.  '     297 

The  places  where  they  are  most  abundant  usually 
are  called  ''Camas  prairies,"  and  they  form  a  feature 
of  Eastern  Oregon  and  Idaho.  They  are  also  plentiful 
in  Western  Oregon.  The  flowering  season  is  about 
the  middle  of  May,  near  the  Lower  Columbia.  There 
are  several  species  of  the  camas,  one  of  which  is 
poisonous,  as  noticed  above. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  any  but  a  thorough  botanist 
to  give  a  complete  list  of  the  flowering  plants  native 
to  this  country.  We  shall,  therefore,  briefly  notice 
those  which  are  most  common,  and  which  we  have  had 
an  opportunity  of  observing.  Commencing  with  the 
spring,  we  have  the  purple  iris ;  mimulus  luteus  (yel- 
low) ;  yellow  lily  {Golden  Erythronium)  ;  white,  blue, 
purple,  and  yellow  lupines  ;  wild  pea  ( Yicia) ;  w^hite 
daisy  ;  California  yellow  poppy  {Oenothera  Biennis) ; 
pink  Oenothera  ;  verbena ;  brodiea,  belonging  to  the 
family  of  Camas — two  varieties — both  purple,  one  of 
them  very  beautiful,  found  near  Albany ;  silene,  com- 
monly called  a  pink,  very  elegant ;  tobacco  pouch  {Cy- 
pripedium),  white,  shaded  with  gray  ;  Indian  pink  {Cas- 
tclia  hrevifolia),  scarlet,  or  orange  red;  shooting  star 
{Dodecathem  media)  ^  several  colors  ;  larkspur  ;  flax 
flower  {Linum)]  boys  and  girls  {Cyno  GUssiim),  pink 
and  blue  on  the-same-  stem  ;  orange  lily  {Lilimn  Cana- 
dense) ;  red  ear  -  drop  {Delphinium  nudicaule)  white  dew- 
bell  {Cycldbothra  alba) ;  red  columbine  ;  Lilium  WasJi- 
ingtoniiim,  the  great  white  lily  of  the  Wallamet  Valley ; 
pink  convolvulus ;  golden  coreopsis ;  Phlox,  Clarhia; 
Anemone  ;  sunflower  ;  golden  red  ;  {Salldago)  ;  aster  ; 
dicentra,  white  and  scarlet ;  Collomia  grandiflora, 
salmon  color  ;  Bichelostona  congesta  (poison  camas), 
purple ;  Hcsperoscardum  grandiflora,  a  white  flower, 
marked  with  green,  very  delicate  ;  hossackia  bi-color, 

20 


298  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON.  •     • 

white  and  yellow ;  and  others  whose  names  are  un- 
known to  us,  or  which  have  been  forgotten. 

Of  flowering  grasses,  and  delicate  flowering  vines 
that  run  on  the  ground  in  the  woods,  there  are  sev- 
eral ;  but  their  botanical  names  are  unknown,  and 
they  have  no  common  names  except  in  two  instances. 
One  of  these  is  a  spicy,  little,  running  vine  called  Ore- 
gon tea,  common  in  all  woods ;  and  the  other  is  a 
beautiful  myrtle  which  is  found  about  Puget  Sound,  in 
the  shade  of  the  giant  trees.  Of  ferns  and  mosses, 
there  is  an  endless  variety  in  the  woods,  and  on  the 
rocks  of  Western  Oregon  and  Washington. 

The  prevailing  colors  of  wild  flowers  in  Western 
Oregon  are  purple,  yellow,  and  white,  with  a  fair  pro- 
portion of  pink  or  red.  In  Eastern  Oregon,  there  are 
still  fewer  red  flowers.  Blue  flowers  are  very  rare  in 
any  portion  of  this  country,  as,  we  believe,  they  are 
everywhere.  We  remember  to  have  seen  some  lovely 
blue  flowers  growing  in  the  sands  between  Wallula  and 
the  first  crossing  of  the  Touchet,  but  we  did  not  get 
any  of  them.  Bufl"  or  salmon  color  is  still  rarer,  the 
CoUomia  being  the  only  one  we  remember  seeing.  Yet 
with  all  the  different  shades  of  the  common  purple, 
yellow,  white,  and  red,  with  their  diff'ering  forms,  a 
great  deal  of  beauty  may  be  expressed ;  and  the 
prairies  of  Oregon  and  Washington,  east  and  west, 
present  a  delightful  bouquet  of  tints  in  the  summer 
months. 

Very  few  flowers  of  the  Wallamet  Valley  are  fra- 
grant ;  while,  on  the  contrary,  very  many  of  those 
found  east  of  the  Cascades  are  highly  perfumed  ;  as 
they  are  also  in  Southern  Oregon,  wliere  the  blue  vio- 
let, quite  scentless  near  the  Columbia,  is  deliciously 
fragrant.     Of  the  early  spring  flowers  common  to  the 


BOTANY   OF   THE   PRAIRIES.  299 

Atlantic  States  and  to  this  country  also,  are  the  yellow 
violet;  adder's  tongue,  or  dog-tooth  violet;  spring 
beauty,  and  buttercup.  But  the  spicy  wintergreen, 
•with  its  crimson  berry,  is  unknown ;  as  is  also  the  May 
apple,  and  other  delights  of  childhood.  A  vine  re- 
sembling the  checkerberry  is  said  to  grow  near  the 
coast,  but  we  never  saw  it. 

■  The  soil  and  climate  of  Oregon  and  "Washmgton  is 
highly  favorable  to  the  growth  of  flowers;  and  we  may 
find  in  the  gardens  here,  flowers  from  almost  every 
clime,  growing  in  more  or  less  perfection.  From  the 
plenitude  of  moisture,  they  continue  to  blossom  very 
late  in  the  season ;  a  bouquet  of  roses,  and  a  dozen 
other  varieties  of  elegant  flowers,  being  often  gathered 
at  Christmas.  Frequently,  gardening  can  be  resumed 
in  February,  which  gives  a  large  propo>rtion  of  the 
year  to  the  enjoyment  of  one  of  the  purest  and  most 
wholesome  of  pleasures. 

The  United  States  Exploring  Expedition  collected, 
in  the  year  1854-5,  three  hundred  and  sixty  species 
of  native  plants,  of  which  one  hundred  and  fifty  are 
peculiar  to  the  prairies  of  Oregon  and  Washington. 


CHAPTER  XXrX. 

WILD   SPORTS. 

Notwithstanding  the  thick  growth  of  the  forests  of 
Oregon  and  Washington,  the  hunter  may  find  sport, 
with  game  worthy  of  his  rifle,  if  he  is  not  afraid  of 
the  exertion  and  foot -service.  There  are  numerous 
"openings"  in  the  forest,  and  plenty  of  wild  country 
in  the  foot-hills,  where  game  may  be  found,  if  the 
habitat  of  each  animal  is  known.        ^ 

The  most  formidable  of  the  Bear  family  is  the 
grizzly,  which  inhabits  less  the  thick  forests  of  the 
north  than  the  manzanita  thickets  and  the  scrub -oak 
coverts  of  Southern  and  Eastern  Oregon,  yet  is  occa- 
sionally found  as  far  north  as  the  Olympian  Range  in 
Washington  Territory.  The  color  of  this  bear  is  a 
silvery  gray,  its  bulk  immense,  sometimes  weighing 
two  thousand  pounds,  and  its  habits  herbivorous 
chiefly,  though  it  will,  on  sufficient  provocation,  kill 
and  eat  other  animals,  and  even  man.  It  subsists 
in  Southern  Oregon  upon  the  berries  of  the  manzanita, 
of  which  it  is  very  fond,  and  will  feed  upon  any  ber- 
ries or  fruits  within  its  reach  ;  occasionally,  as  a  relish, 
digging  up  a  wasps'- nest  for  the  sake  of  the  honey, 
not  being  able,  like  the  black  bear,  to  climb  in  search 
of  bees'- nests. 

In  seasons  when  drought  has  destroyed  its  customary 
food  in  the  mountains  of  California,  it  has  been  known 
to  descend  into  the  valleys  and  dig  up  gophers  for 


WILD   SPORTS.  301 

food.  If  it  scents  fresh  venison  or  beef,  it  will  steal 
it  if  possible,  and  has  been  known  to  take  the  hunter's 
provisions  out  from  under  his  head  while  sleeping.  In 
such  a  case  it  is  better  to  pretend  to  be  sound  asleep 
during  the  stealing,  even  if  very  wide-awake,  as  most 
likely  to  be  the  case,  for  any  movement  will  be  certain 
to  bring  down  the  bear's  paw  with  force  upon  the 
hunter's  head  —  ''a  consummation  most  devoutly  to 
be"  avoided. 

This  trick  of  the  grizzly — striking  a  man  on  the  head, 
or  "boxing  his  ears" — is  a  dangerous  one.  It  is  not  at 
all  rare  to  find  men  in  the  mountains  and  valleys  where 
the  grizzly  ranges,  who  have  had  their  skulls  broken 
by  the  blow  of  its  immense  paw.  They  are  much  io 
be  dreaded  in  a  personal  encounter,  and  by  no  means 
easy  to  kill,  unless  hit  in  the  vulnerable  spot  behind 
the  ear.  Those  who  fancy  lion-hunting  in  the  jungles 
of  Africa  might  find  equally  good  sport  in  hunting 
grizzlies  in  California,  Oregon,  and  in  some  parts  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains. 

During  the  summer  months  they  retire  ta  the  mount- 
ains ;  but,  as  the  berries  ripen,  come  down  to  the  foot- 
hills and  river-banks,  to  feed  upon  their  favorite  fruits. 
If  a  cavern  is  not  at  hand  when  winter  comes  on  in 
the  cold  regions  they  make  a  bed  for  themselves  in 
some  thicket ;  or  sometimes  dig  a  hole  below  the  sur- 
face, in  which  they  pass  the  winter  sucking  their  paws.  ■ 
It  would  seem  that  where  the  winters  are  as  mild  as  in 
the  Coast  Mountains  of  California,  they  do  not  hiber- 
nate, as  they  are  met  with  all  through  the  winter  sea- 
son, and  kill,  and  are  killed,  more  than  ever  at  that 
time,  on  account  of  the  scarcity  of  berries. 

There  are  several  curious  fticts  in  the  natural  history 
of  this  bear ;  one  of  the  most  singular  of  which  is, 


302  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON 

that  the  period  of  gestation  is  entirely  unknown,  even 
to  the  most  observant  and  experienced  mountain  men. 
No  one  has  ever  killed  a  female  carrying  young,  at  any 
time  of  the  year,  though  they  are  often  discovered  with 
their  cubs  evidently  but  a  few  weeks  old.  Where  they 
hide  themselves  during  this  period,  or  how  long  it  lasts, 
no  hunter  has  ever  been  able  to  observe  ;  though  there 
are  men  who  have  spent  half  their  lives  in  the  mount- 
ains, and  killed  in  desperate  encounter  many  a  grizzly, 
and  at  all  times  of  the  year,  even  when  hibernating. 

The  grizzly  seems  to  be  "a  man  of  many  minds," 
with  regard  to  attack.  Usually,  unless  in  charge  of 
cubs,  it  quietly  avoids  a  meeting  with  the  hunter  ;  and 
at  times,  even  seems  timid  and  easily  alarmed.  But 
because  one  grizzly  has  given  you  room,  you  must  not 
depend  upon  the  next  one  doing  the  same.  It  is  quite 
as  likely  that  he  will  challenge  3^ou  as  you  pass  ;  and 
unless  well  prepared  to  take,  up  the  glove,  you  had 
better  "take  up"  the  first  tree  you  come  to.  It  is 
not  a  pleasant  sight  to  see  one  of  these  monsters  on 
his  hind-quarters,  with  his  fore-paWs  ready  for  action  ; 
and  when  it  comes  to  running,  he  can  run  as  fast  as 
you  can. 

The  brown,  or  cinnamon  bear,  is  also  a  savage  creat- 
ure, with  many  of  the  traits  of  the  grizzly,  but  inferior 
in  size.  They  inhabit  the  same  regions  with  the  latter, 
and  also  are  found  in  the  thick  forests  of  Northern 
Oregon  and  Washington. 

The  black  bear  is  common  to  every  part  of  these 
countries,  living  in  the  mountains  in  summer,  and  vis- 
iting the  low  hills  and  small  valleys,  or  tlie  banks  of 
rivers,  in  autumn.  When  the  acorn  crop  is  good  in 
the  foot-hills,  bears  haunt  tlie  groves  which  furnisli 
their  favorite  food.     If  they  can  find  a  stray  porker 


WILD    SPORTS.  303 

engaged  in  foraging,  they  embrace  him  a  little  too 
tightly  for  his  health— 7 in  short,  "squeeze  the  breath 
out  of  him" — after  which  affectionate  observance  they 
cat  him.  But  unless  exasperated  they  never  attack 
the  human  family,  and  are  not  regarded  as  dangerous 
under  ordinary  circumstances. 

An  animal  which  is  ferocious,  and  not  unfrequently 
met  with  in  the  mountains,  is  the  cougar — an  animal  of 
the  cat  species,  with  a  skin  something  like  a  leopard's, 
and  a  long,  ringed  tail,  but  a  head  with,  a  lion -like 
breadth.  It  is  variously  called  the  California  lion  and 
American  panther.  We  saw  one  large  specimen,  which 
was  lying  dead  by  the  roadside  on  the  Calapooya  Mount- 
ain, which  measured  seven  feet  from  tip  to  tip.  This 
animal  seldom  attacks  a  man,  but  is  very  destructive 
to  calves  and  colts  in  the  vicinity  of  the  mountains, 
especially  in  the  newly  settled  parts. 

There  are  three  species  of  the  wolf  in  Oregon  and 
Washington,  of  which  the  black  is  the  largest  and  most 
ferocious.  It  stands  two  and  a  half  or  three  feet  high, 
and  is  five  to  six  feet  from  tip  to  tip.  Such  was  its 
destructiveness  in  the  earliest  settlement  of  the  coun- 
try that  special  means  were  resorted  to  for  its  exter- 
mination, until  now  it  is  rarely  ever  met  with.  It 
attacks  young  cattle  and  colts,  as  well  as  the  cougar. 

The  white,  or  gray  wolf,  is  another  enemy  to  the 
stock -raiser,  though  it  is  satisfied  with  smaller  game 
than  the  black  wolf,  contenting  itself  with  full-grown 
sheep  ;  and  being  more  powerful  than  a  dog,  is  a  great 
destroyer  of  flocks  in  some  localities,  and  so  sagacious 
that  it  is  very  diflicult  to  poison.  The  coyote,  or  bark- 
ing wolf,  is  also  a  depredator,  taking  young  pigs  and 
lambs.  One  of  these  little  animals  has  the  voice  of 
several,  and  can  imitate  the  barking  of  a  whole  pack. 


304  OREGON   AND    WASHINGTON. 

It  is  almost  too  contemptible  to  be  considered  game, 
and  is  given  over  to  strychnine. 

There  are  two  or  three  species  of  lynx,  or  wild  cat ; 
also  troublesome  to  settlers  near  the  forest,  carrying 
off  young  pigs,  and  such  small  farm  stock.  When  not 
stealing  from  the  farmer  they  subsist  themselves  upon 
young  fawns,  hares,  squirrels,  and  game  birds.  These 
are  numerous  in  the  woods  of  the  Lower  Columbia. 
We  have  seen  several  good  specimens  dependiilg  from 
the  limbs  of  trees,  where  they  had  been  hung  after 
shooting. 

Of  foxes,  there  are  the  red,  silver  gray,  black,  and 
gray  varieties.  It  is  thought  that  the  black  fox  is  a 
distinct  species ;  as  is  also  the  gray,  which  is  smaller. 
But  the  silver  gray  is  said  by  the  Indians  to  be  the 
male  of  the  red  species  ;  the  female  only  being  of  a  red- 
dish color.  This  species,  in  all  its  varieties,  is  very  com- 
mon on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Cascades,  near  the  Co- 
lumbia ;  and  the  smaller  gray  is  most  abundant  in  the. 
Klamath  Lake  region,  in  the  southern  part  of  Oregon. 
Their  skins,  though  not  as  handsome  as  the  silver  gray, 
are  still  very  fine.  The  gray  is  the  "medicine  fox" 
of  the  Indians,  a  meeting  with  which  brings  mis- 
fortune. 

Elk  are  found  both  in  the  Cascade  and  Coast  mount- 
ains ;  but  are  most  abundant  in  the  latter.  In  sum- 
mer they  keep  pretty  high  up,  generally  ;  but  when 
snow  falls  in  the  mountains,  descend  to  the  plains  and 
river -bottoms.  They  travel  in  well -beaten  trails,  and 
in  large  droves,  which  makes  them  easy  game.  When 
quite  wild  they  show  considerable  curiosity,  stopping 
to  look  at  the  hunter,  thus  oflcring  a  fair  shot.  When 
wounded  and  in  close  quarters  they  are  formidable  an- 
tagonists, from  their  great  size,  heavy  head,  and  largo 


WILD   SPORTS.  305 

antlers.  The  immense  size  of  their  antlers  would  appear 
to  be  an  obstacle  to  their  escape,  when  running  in  the 
forest ;  but  by  throwing  back  their  heads  they  drop 
them  over  their  shoulders,  so  well  out  of  the  way  as 
to  enable  them  to  pass  through  the  thick  woods  without 
difficulty.  There  are  still  immense  herds  of  them  in  the 
mountains  near  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia,  and  may 
be  hunted  in  summer  by  parties  sufficiently  hardy  for 
overcoming  the  obstacles  of  the  forest.  But  autumn 
and  winter  are  better  seasons  for  hunting  elk,  as  they 
then  come  down  to  more  open  ground.  Elk -steaks 
are  no  rarity  in  Astoria  ;  and  occasionally  they  are  to 
be  met  with  in  the  Portland  markets.  It  is  estimated 
that  not  less  than  one  thousand  elks  were  killed  last 
year  in  Coos  County  alone,  for  the  skins  only. 

Three  species  of  deer  are  found  in  Oregon  and  Wash- 
ington :  the  white -tailed,  black -tailed,  and  mule  deer. 
The  two  first- named  species  inhabit  the  country  west 
of  the  Cascades,  the  black -tailed  being  most  common. 
They  also  inhabit  east  of  the  mountains,  but  have  been 
greatly  decimated  by  the  Indians,  who  kill  them  wan- 
tonly in  snowy  winters  when  they  can  not  run.  In  the 
mountains  along  the  Lower  Columbia  and  Lower  Wal- 
lamet  they  are  still  very  plentiful.  Game-laws  exist  in 
Oregon  for  protecting  them  during  a  certain  season  ; 
and  still  lawless  persons  are  found  who  kill  them  with- 
out regard  to  their  condition.  The  mule  deer  is  found 
only  east  of  the  Cascades,  and  is  not  common.  It 
seems  to  be  a  hybrid  between  the  antelope  and  black- 
tailed  deer. 

The  antelope  is  an  inhabitant  of  Eastern  Oregon, 
and  is  hunted  by  the  Indians  by  a  "surround" — for 
though  curious  enough  to  stop  to  look  at  the  hunter, 
it  is  very  fleet,  and  soon  distances  pursuit.    Hence  the 


306  OREGON   AND    WASHINGTON. 

Indian  method  of  driving  them  into  a  corral,  by  com- 
ing down  upon  a  herd  from  all  sides  and  gradually 
forcing  them  into  an  inclosure  made  for  the  purpose 
—  a  very  unsportsman  -  like  way  of  taking  such  deli- 
cate game. 

Eastern  Oregon  also  furnishes  the  mountain  sheep. 
In  the  region  of  John  Day  and  Des  Chutes  rivers,  they 
were  formerly  very  numerous.  Their  flesh  is  good, 
though  likely  to  be  flavored  with  whatever  they  feed 
most  upon.  It  appears  from  the  testimony  of  early 
voyagers  to  this  coast,  that  the  Indians  formerly  made 
a  kind  of  cloth  from  the  wool  of  the  mountain  sheep, 
but  the  process  of  its  manufacture  is  unknown  in  Ore- 
gon at  this  period.  The  fact  of  the  sheep  being  native 
to  the  grassy  plains  of  Eastern  Oregon  and  Washington, 
furnishes  a  hint  by  which  wool -growers  might-  profit. 

The  prairie  hare — a  large,  blue-gray  species — is  found 
in  Eastern  Oregon  and  Washington ;  and  also  on  the 
mountains  of  Southern  Oregon,  where  it  is  very  com- 
mon.    The  flesh  is  good  eating. 

Of  fur -bearing  animals  which  are  hunted  for  their 
skins,  there  is  the  hair  seal  in  the  Columbia  River — a 
very  pretty  creature,  of  a  bluish -gray  color,  spotted 
with  white.  These  seals  swim  up  the  river  as  far  as 
the  Cascades,  and  in  high-water  make  their  way  up  to 
the  Dalles.  They  are  smaller  in  size  than  the  red  seal 
of  the  Pacific,  and  very  docile  in  their  dispositions. 
Instances  have  occurred  of  their  being  domesticated, 
when  they  have  shown  the  same  attachment  to  their 
masters  that  the  dog  does,  following  them  also  by 
scent,  even  into  the  thick  woods,  where  they  have 
torn  themselves  fearfully  in  their  efforts  to  overtake 
those  who  had  deserted  them.  The  Indians  roast  and 
cat  them. 


WILD   SPORTS.  307 

The  mink,  whose  fur  is  so  fashionable  and  valuable, 
is  common  to  the  waters  of  Oregon  and  Washington, 
but  most  numerous  in  the  lakes  and  Sound  of  the 
latter.  It  is  said  that  when  they  inhabit  the  Sound, 
they  subsist  upon  shell -fish. 

The  beaver,  which  was  nearly  exterminated  in  the 
days  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  occupancy,  is  again 
quite  abundant  in  the  streams  of  all  the  wooded  por- 
tion of  the  country.  One  of  the  sights  peculiar  to 
the  Lower  Columbia  is  the  "hunting-boat" — a  sort  of 
scow  with  a  house  on  it — which  goes  peering  into  all 
the  creeks  and  sloughs  leading  out  of  the  river,  after 
game  of  this  sort.  The  .skins  are  taken  to  Portland, 
or  to  some  trading -post  along  the  river,  and  sold  or 
exchanged  for  goods. 

The  '.'  California  otter"  also  inhabits  the  mountain 
streams  in  considerable  numbers,  especially  those  that 
come  down  from  the  Cascades.  The  sea-otter  is  found 
along  the  coast,  but  is  becoming  rarer  ;  having,  it  is 
supposed,  left  the  American  for  the  Asiatic  coast. 

The  pine  marten,  or  American  sable,  is  in  considera- 
ble numbers  along  the  streams  of  the  Cascade  Mount- 
ains, and  is  found  clinging  to  pine-trees  on  the  eastern 
slopes,  in  Washington  and  Oregon.  Their  skins  are 
quite  valuable,  though  not  collected  except  by  the 
Indians,  who  prize  them  for  ornament. 

Of  game  birds  there  are  great  numbers,  as  might  be 
conjectured  from  the  nature  of  the  country.  The 
habits  and  habitats  of  this  kind  of  game  are  too  well 
known  to  sportsmen  to  need  remark.  We  will  give 
the  names  only  of  the  most  common:  ^lountain  quail; 
valley  quail;  dusky  grouse,  ruffled  grouse;  sharp-tailed 
grouse,  or  prairie  chicken  (found  only  east  of  the  Cas- 
cades) ;  sage-cock  (east  of  the  Cascades) ;  curlew  (east 


308  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

of  the  Cascades)  ;  kildeer  plover  ;  golden  plover  ;  Vir- 
ginia rail ;  English  snipe  ;  red-breasted  snipe  ;  summer 
duck  ;  Canada  goose  ;  white  -  fronted  goose  ;  black 
brant ;'  mallard  duck ;  canvas  -  back  duck ;  blue  -  winged 
teal ;  brown  crane  ;  green  -  winged  teal ;  and  probably 
several  birds  omitted  or  forgotten. 

In  autumn,  the  region  of  the  Lower  Columbia  is 
swarming  with  wild  water-fowl.  A  common  recreation 
among  the  Portlanders  is  to  charter  a  small  steamer, 
or  in  place  of  it  a  hunting  -  boat,  to  convey  a  party  of 
gentlemen  to  the  haunts  of  geese  and  ducks,  among 
the  streams  and  sloughs  about  the  mouth  of  the  Lower 
Wallamet,  and  up  into  Scappoose  Bay.  A  week's 
sport,  with  good  living  on  board  their  hunting  craft,  is 
thought  "worth  the  shot,"  as  unbending  both  body 
and  mind  from  the  year's  routine  of  business. 

When  it  is  remembered  that  there  is  the  best  of 
sport  for  the  angler  in  the  creeks  and  rivers  of  the 
country,  where  choice  may  be  made  between  a  seventy- 
pound  salmon  at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia,  and  a 
dainty,  speckled  trout  in  almost  any  tributary,  it  must 
be  allowed  that  there  is  amusement  for  all  varieties  of 
idle  people,  not  to  say  healthful  pastime  for  invalids, 
in  Oregon  and  Washington. 

There  is  also  here — what  can  not  readily  be  found  in 
the  Atlantic  States — a  class  of  men  who  have  made 
hunting  and  trapping  the  business  of  half  their  lives  ; 
and  who,  while  they  lend  their  knowledge  of  the  craft 
to  the  inexperienced  hunter,  entertain  him  with  vol- 
umes of  humorous  and  exciting  personal  adventure 
with  every  sort  of  game,  from  a  beaver  to  a  Black-foot 
Indian.  The  "River  of  the  West,"  which  chronicles 
much  of  tliis  kind  of  wild  life,  furnislies  an  index 
merely  to  what  the  traveler  may  learn  for  himself,  if 


WILD   SPORTS.  309 

he  has  a  few  months*  leisure  to  make  himself  familiar 
with  these  men  and  the  scenes  of  their  exploits.  The 
curious  traveler  may  find  in  Oregon  men  who  were 
with  Sublette,  Wyeth,  and  Bonneville,  in  the  mount- 
ains ;  men  who  met  there  Stanley,  the  painter,  Doug- 
las, the  botanist,  Farnham,  the  would-be  founder  of  a 
communist  colony ;  who  hunted  beavers  and  Indians 
with  Kit  Carson ;  Who  laugh  at  Fremont  as  an  ex- 
plorer ;  who  served  Wilkes  on  his  surveying  expedi- 
tion ;  who  saw  Oregon  in  danger  of  becoming  an  inde- 
pendent Government,  but  whose  noble  patriotism 
saved  it  to  the  Republic  of  the  United  States. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

AMONG    THE    MOUNTAINS. 

No  GREAT  and  general  forms  of  Nature  impress  them- 
selves upon  the  memory  or  imagination  more  than 
mountains.  The  ocean  alone  rivals  them  in  this  re- 
spect. Those  nations,  like  the  Swiss,  who  have  been 
born  and  bred  in  the  shadow  of,  or  even  in  sight  of, 
cloud  -  piercing  heights,  never  take  kindly  to  countries 
of  a  smoother  aspect.  In  a  few  generations,  Oregon 
will  undoubtedly  possess,  for  this  reason,  a  people  dis- 
tinguished for  patriotism. 

We  have  found  the  Oregon  mountains  everywhere, 
west  of  the  summit  of  the  Cascade  Range,,  densely 
covered  with  forest,  even  up  to  the  line  of  perpetual 
snow.  Considering  the  impenetrable  nature  of  the 
forest,  this  would  alone  render  a  passage  through  them 
very  difficult.  Yet  this  difficulty  is  not  the  only  one. 
From  the  summit  of  the  Cascades  to  the  open  country 
at  their  base,  is  a  distance  of  from  forty  to  sixty  miles. 
Not,  indeed,  a  smooth  descent,  nor  a  succession  of 
parallel  ridges ;  but  a  bewildering  chaos  of  mountains, 
thrown  together  in  such  confusion  that  engineering  is 
dismayed  at  the  task  of  finding  a  pass  among  them. 

Yet  all  the  earliest  roads  into  Western  Oregon  were 
surveyed  by  the  hardy  pioneers,  who  knew  very  little 
of  scientific  engineering.  With  a  bravery  and  perse- 
verance most  heroic,  they  struggled  with  and  overcame 
the  obstacles  that  met  them  on  the  last  portion  of  a 


AMONG  THE   MOUNTAINS.  311 

long  and  exhausting  overland  journey.  The  location 
of  a  road  from  Dalles  to  Oregon  City  nearly  cost  two 
brave  men  their  lives ;  but  they  secured  their  object. 
The  first  train  of  immigrant  wagons  which  came  over 
this  road  made  from  eight  to  ten  miles  per  day  ;  their 
forces  being  occupied  most  of  the  time  in  widening 
the  track — for  the  pioneers  had  found  it  too  much 
labor  to  open  a  very  broad  highway  for  those  who 
were  to  follow. 

The  most  skillful  driving  did  not  prove  skillful 
enough  to  guide  the  staggering  oxen  through  the  way 
provided  by  the  road  -  makers  ;  and  the  constant  ten- 
dency of  a  forward  wheel  to  run  up  a  tree,  on  one  side 
or  the  other,  was  very  trying  to  the  drivers.  But  if 
the  wagons  would  run  up  trees  on  ascending  ground, 
what  was  their  course  when  they  came  to  an  incline 
of  nearly  sixty  degrees  on  the  de-scending  side,  with  a 
heavy  load  urging  the  jaded  oxen  from  behind  ? 

As  succeeding  trains  gradually  widened  the  way,  a 
new  difficulty  arose.  It  was  better  to  ba  stopped  by  a 
tree  than  not  to  be  stopped  at  all,  or  to  find  one's 
team  rushing  down  the  side  of  a  mountain,  like  an 
avalanche,  to  certain  death  and  destruction;  To  over- 
come this  danger,  good  -  sized  trees  were  attached  by 
chains  to  the  rear  of  the  wagon,  with  the  branches 
left  on,  to  act  like  grappling-irons,  and  in  this  manner 
the  descent  was  made  in  safety.  But  woe  to  the  care- 
less or  the  unlucky  wight  w^hose  improvised  "brake" 
became  uncoupled.  The  best  he  could  hope  for,  in 
that  case,  was  that  a  fore  -  wheel  icould  dash  up  a  tree, 
even  if  an  upset  was  the  consequence. 

It  sometimes  happened  that  the  oxen  struck  their 
heads  against  a  solid  fir -trunk;  in  which  case,  their 
proprietor  became  suddenly  minus  that  pair  of  oxen, 


312  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

and  plus  a  great  many  fragments  of  wagon  and  con- 
tents. Notwithstanding  which  pioneer  incidents,  very 
good  roads  now  exist  over  the  mountains  in  various 
places. 

There  is  no  dry  season  on  the  summit  of  the  Cas- 
cade Kange :  hence  trees  that  belqng  to  the  coast  re- 
gion re -appear  above  the  region  of  firs,  such  as  the 
black  spruce,  which,  fed  by  the  sea-fogs  that  drift  over 
from  the  sea  and  are  caught  in  the  mountain -tops, 
grow  abundantly.  Pines,  larches,  dwarf  junipers,  and 
occasional  cedars  also  flourish  at  a  height  of  over  five 
thousand  feet.  Looking  at  the  mountains  from  the 
valley  of  Western  Oregon,  we  see  no  bare  peaks  until 
we  come  to  the  snow -line.  The  numerous  snow-peaks 
seem  to  shoot  up  out  of  evergreen  forests :  the  more 
so  as  all  the  snow-capped  mountains  rise  from  the 
eastern  side  of  the  range. 

The  ascent  of  the  snow -peaks  from  the  western  side 
is  necessarily  attended  with  much  difficulty,  except  in 
the  case  of  Mount  Hood.  The  road  before  referred  to, 
as  leading  to  the  Dalles,  passes  around  the  base  of  this 
grand  mountain.  At  Mountain  Meadows,  the  highest 
point  on  the  Dalles  road,  we  seem  to  be  just  at  the 
foot  of  it,  where,  disengaging  itself  from  the  company 
of  lesser  peaks,  it  springs  up  clear  and  free,  a  pyramid 
of  rock  and  ice,  thousands  of  feet  higher  than  its 
neighbors — bold  in  outline,  clear-cut,  symmetrical, 
inexpressibly  grand. 

For  a  little  distance  above  the  meadows,  the  mount- 
ain appears  belted  with  a  dark  girdle  of  trees.  Above 
and  beyond  that,  all  is  sharply  defined  in  white  and 
black;  glistening  snow -fields  reaching  up  and  up, 
scarred  here  and  there  with  projecting  needles  and 
cliffs  of  basalt,  or  seamed  for  immense  distances  by 


AMONG  THE   MOUNTAINS  313 

rocky  riclgos  and  yawning  chasms  of  blackness.  So 
cold,  hard,  and  immovable  it  looks,  that  it  is  difficult  to 
attribute  to  its  volcanic  forces  the  upheaval  of  this  vast 
basaltic  and  plutonic  mass  over  which  we  are  traveling. 

But  this  frozen  aspect  is  a  deceitful  one,  as  we  are 
aware,  since  our  own  eyes  have  beheld  the  fiery  column 
shooting  up  from  the  old  crater,  followed  by  great 
volumes  of  dense,  black  smoke.  The  grand  old 
mountain  is  not  often  stirred  in  these  centuries  of 
peace  ;  but  it  holds  within  its  bosom  fires  that  have 
never  gone  out  since  the  morning  of  creation. 

The  ascent  of  Mount  Hood,  owing  to  the  road,  is  not 
difficult.  Every  summer  parties  go  up  it,  and  many 
memorials  are  deposited  there  of  these  visits.  August, 
or  the  latter  part  of  July,  is  the  most  favorable  time 
to  make  the  ascent,  when  the  snow  is  neither  too  hard 
nor  too  soft.  The  earlier  one  can  go  with  safety,  the 
better ;  as  there  is  likely  to  be,  late  in  the  season,  a 
good  deal  of  smoke  from  burning  forests,  which  ob- 
scures the  view.  In  clear  weather,  the  panorama  which 
can  be  enjoyed  from  the  summit  of  Mount  Hood  is 
worth  a  journey  across  the  continent  to  behold. 

Mount  St.  Ilelen,  though  in  Washington  Territory, 
is  reckoned  among  the  Oregon  mountains,  because  it 
is  visible  not  only  from  the  Columbia  River,  but  from 
the  heart  of  the  Wallamet  Valley.  Not  so  high  as 
Mount  Hood,  it  is  remarkable  for  the  symmetry  of  its 
rounded  dome.  It  is  not  difficult  of  ascent,  except  on 
account  of  the  intervening  forests.  It  is  approached 
by  following  the  north  fork  of  the  Cathlapootle  or 
Lewis  River,  which  enters  the  Columbia  opposite  the 
mouth  of  the  Lower  Wallamet.  As  the  melting  of 
snow  in  the  mountains  swells  this  stream  to  a  rapid 
torrent  in  the  early  part  of  summer,  the  undertaking 

21 


314  OREGON   AND  WASHINGTON. 

must  be  postponed  to  the  last  of  the  warm  season. 
Even  then  it  is  a  very  rugged  and  dangerous  trip, 
though  it  has  been  accomplished  by  a  few  old  mount- 
ain men. 

One  of  these  related  to  us  how,  while  endeavoring 
to  reach  a  certain  bald,  black  spot  on  the  west  side, 
known  as  "the  bear,"  he  lost  his  footing,  and  went,  as 
he  expressed  it,  "kiting"  down  the  side  of  the  mount- 
ain, expecting  nothing  else  but  to  be  dashed  to  pieces. 
Fortunately  there  are  few  crevasses  on  this  mountain  ; 
and,  coming  to  softer  snow,  he  was  able  to  check  his 
speed,  and  regain  his  footing.  He  found  that  "the 
bear"  was  a  black  rock,  kept  hare  by  hot  springs, 
which  burst  out  at  this  place. 

Mount  St.  Helen  has  been  frequently  known,  since 
the  settlement  of  the  country,  to  throw  out  steam  and 
ashes ;  scattering  the  latter  over  the  country  for  a 
hundred  miles,  and  obscuring  the  daylight  (on  one  oc- 
casion) so  that  it  was  necessary  to  burn  candles. 

Fine  gold  is  found  in  such  quantities  on  the  Cathla- 
pootle  River  that  many  attempts  have  been  made  to 
prospect  at  the  foot  of  this  mountain.  But  these  at- 
tempts have  always  been  frustrated  by  the  obstacles 
already  mentioned.  In  time  the  mineral  wealth  of  the 
Cascade  Range  will  be  developed  ;  not,  however,  until 
the  population  has  been  greatly  augmented,  and  the 
necessary  gradual  clearing  up  of  the  country  opens 
the  way. 

Mount  Adams,  almost  directly  cast  of  Mount  St. 
Helen,  and  visible  from  the  "Wallamet  Valley,  like  the 
Oregon  snow -peaks,  rises  from  the  eastern  side  of  the 
range,  and  can  be  reached  from  the  more  open  country 
on  that  side  without  any  great  exertion.  It  is  one  of 
the  most  imposing  of  the  snow  mountains  in  appear- 


AMONG  THE   MOUNTAINS.  315 

ance,  although  not  one  of  the  highest.     The  best  views 
of  it  are  to  be  obtained  from  the  hills  near  Dalles  City. 

From  the  Columbia  and  Wallamet  rivers  one  gets 
just  a  glimpse  of  Mount  Rainier,  the  grandest  peak  of 
the  Cascade  Range,  being  14,444  feet  in  height.  Seen 
at  this  distance,  and  obstructed  by  St.  Helen,  no  proper 
idea  of  its  magnificence  can  be  obtained.  It  is  only 
when  the  divide  which  separates  the  Cowlitz  River 
from  the  Puget  Sound  country  has  been  passed  that  its 
beautiful  proportions  can  be  estimated. 

From  the  prairies  south  of  the  Sound,  it  seems  to 
have  a  triple  summit ;  this  appearance  being  caused  by 
the  wearing  away  of  the  mountain  about  its  craters, 
two  in  number.  That  it  is  an  immense  upheaval  is  evi- 
dent from  the  breadth  of  its  base,  which  is  twenty-five 
or  thirty  miles.  It  has  been  ascended,  with  great  la- 
bor in  getting  to  its  foot.  Above  the  region  of  forest 
are  beautiful  green  meadows,  spangled  with  flowers  of 
the  most  brilliant  dyes,  dotted  over  with  small  groves 
of  balsam  fir.  In  the  depressions  between  these  green 
ridges  snow  lies,  even  in  August,  making  a  charming 
contrast  with  their  emerald  brightness ;  and  above 
them  towers  the  broken,  icy  pinnacles  of  Rainier. 
From  its  summit  may  be  seen  the  glaciers  filling  its 
gorges,  crossed  again  and  again  by  deep  crevasses. 

Mount  Baker  is  another  lofty  snow -peak  of  Wash- 
ington Territory,  though  so  far  north  as  to  be  seen  only 
from  the  Sound,  or  the  Straits  of  Juan  de  Fuca.  More 
active  as  a  volcano  than  the  other  peaks,  it  has  suffered 
loss  of  height  and  change  of  form,  consequent  on  the 
falling  in  of  the  walls  of  its  crater,  within  the  last  five 
years.  This  mountain,  too,  has  been  ascended — an  in- 
teresting account  of  which  appeared  in  Uarj^cr's  Maga- 
zine about  two  years  ago. 


316  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

About  centrally  situated,  with  regard  to  the  Oregon 
division  of  the  Cascade  Range,  is  a  group  of  snow- 
peaks  called  the  Three  Sisters,  which  may  be  ascended 
without  difficulty  from  the  eastern  side.  Indeed,  in 
order  to  get  a  well -formed  idea  of  the  shape  of  the 
mountains  it  is  necessary  to  see  them  from  this  side. 

Starting  from  the  Dalles,  and  keeping  toward  the 
south  until  we  strike  the  Des  Chutes  River  at  the  Warm 
Springs  Reservation,  we  find  ourselves  directly  abreast 
of  Mount  Jefferson,  with  a  complete  and  beautiful  view 
of  it.  There  is  no  labor  in  traveling  over  the  piney 
slopes  of  the  mountains  here.  It  is  more  like  riding 
through  interminable  parks,  with  little  or  no  under- 
growth, a  dry  soil,  abundance  of  flowers,  and  occa- 
sional small  game.  Three  or  four  days'  easy  travel, 
through  a  country  abounding  in  natural  wonders, 
brings  us  to  the  Three  Sisters. 

They  stand  in  a  triangular  group,  the  base  of  the 
triangle  being  toward  tho  west.  Though  perfectly  dis- 
tinct peaks — the  northernmost  being  highest — they 
are  connected  near  their  base  by  lesser  intervening  ele- 
vations. Accustomed  as  we  have  become  to  mount- 
ains, the  Thrae  Sisters  force  from  us  the  jDrofoundest 
expressions  of  admiration  and  delight.  So  lofty,  so 
symmetrical,  so  beautifully  grouped  !  Nor  are  there 
wanting  adjuncts,  which  augment  the  interest  of  tho 
scene.  At  the  foot  of  the  group  stands  a  single  needle 
of  basalt  several  hundred  feet  in  height,  in  its  grim, 
black  hardness  looking  like  a  sentinel  guarding  the 
Olympian  heights  above. 

We  prepare  to  ascend  the  north  Sister.  By  reason 
of  the  greater  general  elevation  of  the  country  on  the 
eastern  side  of  the  Cascade  Range,  and  the  more  grad- 
ual slopes  also,  the  toil  of  an  ascciit  is  greatly  dimin- 


AMONG  THE   MOUNTAINS.  317 

ished.  By  keeping  along  a  ridge  we  find  it  com- 
paratively easy  to  clamber  up.  Two  of  our  party, 
however,  decide  to  attempt  a  more  abrupt  ascent. 

As  we  course  along  our  rocky  ridge  we  watch  the 
adventurers  on  the  snow-field.  After  climbing  over  a 
sharp  slope  of  broken  rock,  they  come  upon  an  incline 
of  nearly  eighty  degrees — in  fact,  the  snow -field  ap- 
pears concave  to  us — and  commence  crawling  up  it. 
By  great  exertions,  and  cutting  steps  in  the  snow  with 
their  hunting -knives,  they  reach  the  edge  of  the  first 
crevasse,  where  we  see  them  pause,  holding  on  to  the 
edge,  and  looking  into  it.  The}^  can  proceed  no  far- 
ther. The  crevasse  is  fifteen  feet  across,  and  hundreds 
deep.  Could  they  throw  themselves  over,  they  must 
inevitably  slide  back  into  it,  from  the  glassy  surface 
above. 

Starting  cautiously  to  return,  and  holding  back  by 
striking  their  heels  in  the  snow,  making  but  slight  im- 
pressions, first  one,  then  the  other,  loses  his  hold,  and 
down  they  go  —  swiftly,  swiftly,  ever  more  swiftly  — 
darting  like  arrows  from  their  bows,  straight  down  the 
steep  incline,  toward  the  rocks  below  the  snow -line. 
The  3^ounger  and  more  active  contrives  to  draw  his 
hunting  -  knife  from  its  scabbard,  and,  by  striking  it 
into  the  hard  snow,  to  check  his  speed.  What  a  grip 
he  has !  We  laugh,  while  we  are  trembling  with  ex- 
citement, to  see  him  swing  quite  round  the  knife -hilt, 
like  a  plummet  at  the  end  of  a  string  swung  in  the  fin- 
gers. He  has  arrested  his  descent  in  time  to  avoid  the 
rocks. 

Not  so  his  clumsier  companion,  who  comes  down, 
luckily,  heels  foremost,  among  the  rocky  debris  at  the 
bottom.  His  bruises,  though  many,  are  not  danger- 
ous ;   and  this   little   experience   teaches   our   young 


318  OREGON   A:,'D   WASHINGTON. 

friends  the  needful  prudence.  They  are  content  thence- 
forth to  take  the  "longest  way  round,"  which  is  the 
surest  way  to  the  object  of  their  desires.  After  two 
or  three  hours  of  clambering,  we  reach  the  line  of  per- 
petual snow. 

Just  below  it  is  a  belt  of  cedars,  with  tops  so  flat 
that  we  walk  out  on  them  a  distance  of  twenty  feet, 
either  side  their  trunks.  Early  in  their  struggle  for 
existence  their  tops  have  been  broken  off  by  the  wind, 
and  the  weight  of  many  winters'  snows  has  retarded 
their  upright  growth,  until  the  result  of  a  century  of 
aspiration  is  a  ludicrously  short  stump,  and  immensely 
long  and  broad  limbs.  In  this  region  we  find  a  few 
stunted  ''mountain  mahogany"  trees;  but  we  are  quite 
above  the  pines. 

Above  this,  in  the  snow,  or  rather  in  the  thin  layer 
of  soil  deposited  in  places  among  the  rocks  where  the 
sun's  action  prevents  the  snow  from  accumulating,  are 
several  varieties  of  flowering  plants  with  which  we  are 
familiar  ;  the  blossoms,  however,  are  but  the  miniature 
copies  of  their  valley  kindred.  So  fragile,  of  such 
delicate  hues  are  they,  that  a  feeling  of  tenderness  is 
inspired  by  their  lonely  position  on  this  bleak  summit ; 
and  we  ask  ourselves  :  For  whose  eye  has  all  this  beauty 
been  spread,  age  after  age,  where  human  footsteps  never 
come?  Let  those  who  believe  every  thing  terrestrial 
"was  made  for  man,"  search  those  places  of  earth 
where  only  God  is,  and  study  their  adornments. 

The  view  from  the  peak  of  our  mountain  is  one  long 
to  be  remembered.  To  the  north  of  us  stretches  the 
Cascade  Range,  with  its  wilderness  of  mountains,  from 
six  to  eight  thousand  feet  in  height,  overtopped  by 
Mount  Jefferson  and  Mount  Hood.  To  the  south,  the 
same  wilderness  of  mountains  is  seen  over  the  tops  of 


AMONG   THE   JIOUNTAINS.  319 

the  other  Sisters,  with  Diamond  Peak,  South  Peak, 
Mount  Pitt,  and,  far  distant,  one  which  we  fancy  may 
be  Shasta. 

To  the  east,  spread  away  immense  plains,  with  their 
river -courses  marked  as  on  a  map,  and  bounded  by 
the  Blue  Mountains.  Just  below  is  the  Des  Chutes, 
and  on  the  other  side  of  it,  not  far  off,  is  the  extinct 
crater  of  a  volcano,  its  remaining  walls  being  only  two 
or  three  hundred  feet  high.  All  around  it  the  country 
is  covered  with  black  cinders,  ashes,  and  scoria.  Turn- 
ing toward  the  west,  we  behold  the  lovely  Wallamet 
Valley,  with  its  numerous  small  rivers,  its  hills  and 
plains,  and  beyond  it  the  blue  wall  of  the  Coast 
Mountains. 

We  resolve  to  return  to  the  pine  woods  to  camp, 
and  with  to-morrow's  dawn  to  climb  once  more  to  the 
summit,  to  behold  "morning  on  the  mountains."  The 
spectacle  compensates  for  the  extra  toil.  When  we 
arrive,  there  is  a  veil  of  mist  hanging  between  the  val- 
ley and  the  mountain -top.  We  know  that  they  in  the 
valley  see  nothing  of  the  summits ;  while  we  of  the 
summits  can  discern  nothing  below  this  floating  sea  of 
vapor.  How  beautiful !  It  is  as  if  out  of  a  sea  of 
golden -tinted  mist  are  springing  islands  of  dark-green 
—  some  of  them  crowned  with  glittering  snow — and 
overhead  a  cloudless  heaven.  With  every  moment 
some  new  and  beautiful,  but  almost  imperceptible, 
change  comes  over  the  misty  ocean  in  which  are  bathed 
those  isles  whose  shores  are  abrupt  mountain  -  sides ; 
and,  in  turn,  all  tints  of  gold,  rose,  amber,  violet,  float 
before  our  enchanted  eyes. 

Not  long  the  scone  remains.  An  August  sun  quickly 
disperses  the  gossamer  clouds,  unveiling  for  us  the 
scene  of  yesterday  in  its  morning  sharpness  of  outline, 


320  OREGON  AND   WASHINGTON. 

with  high  lights  and  deep  shadows  in  the  foreground, 
and  with  a  soft,  illusory  glimmer  in  the  deep  distance. 
"We  hardly  wait  for  the  full  blaze  of  day  on  the  picture, 
preferring  to  remember  it  in  this  more  striking  aspect. 

Along  the  crests  of  the  mountains  are  frequent 
lakes,  some  of  which  occupy  old  burnt- out  craters; 
others  may  have  been  formed  by  the  damming  up  of 
springs  by  lava  overflows  ;  others  by  a  change  in  the 
elevation  of  certain  districts,  leaving  depressions  to  be 
filled  by  the  melting  of  snows,  or  by  mountain  springs 
and  streams.  These  lakes  occur  generally  where  signs 
of  recent  volcanic  action  in  the  neighborhood  are 
most  numerous,  as  in  the  vicinity  of  Mount  Jefferson, 
the  Three  Sisters,  and  Diamond  Peak. 

Pumice,  cinders,  scoria,  and  volcanic  glass,  with  other 
evidences  of  eruption  comparatively  recent,  abound 
all  along  the  eastern  base  of  the  Cascade  Range,  and 
extend  some  distance  through  the  central  portion  of 
Eastern  Oregon.  The  traveler  and  scientific  man  must 
ever  be  amply  repaid  for  the  labor  of  exploring  the 
country  east  of  the  mountains,  by  the  great  and  varied 
wonders  which  m^et  him  at  almost  every  step  of  his 
journey. 

It  does  not  prejudice  a  country,  either,  that  it  is  of 
volcanic  formation  ;  for,  wherever  the  soil  has  had 
time  to  form,  it  is  sure  to  be  of  that  warm  and  fertile 
nature  that  produces  every  thing  in  abundance,  and 
quickly.  Probably  the  eastern  slopes  of  the  Cascades 
will  sometime  be  celebrated  for  their  grapes  and 
peaches,  as  now  the  foot-hills  of  the  Sierras  are.  In 
both  instances,  the  soil  and  climate  are  identical. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

•  GEOLOGICAL  FORMATION  OF  OREGON. 

We  owe  to  Rev.  Thomas  Condon,  of  Dalles  City,  all 
our  real  information  upon  the  geology  of  Oregon,  as 
well  as  many  notes  upon  its  mineralogy.  That  which 
we  were  able  to  observe  for  ourselves  only  corroborated 
his  views.  According  to  Mr.  Condon,  the  Rocky 
Mountains  once  formed  the  western  breakwater  of 
the  continent,  as  the  Coast  Mountains  now  do.  They 
were  forced  up  by  the  subsidence  of  the  ocean-bottom, 
and  the  consequent  upfolding  of  the  earth's  crust. 
The  upheaval  occurred  near  the  shore -line,  but  left  a 
narrow  strip  of  the  old  sea- bed  east  of  the  Rocky 
Range;  enough  to  prove  that  the  upheaval  occurred  in 
the  Cretaceous  period.  A  large  body  of  salt  water 
was  thus  isolated,  which  gradually,  by  natural  drain- 
age, became  brackish  only,  and  finally  quite  fresh. 
This  change  is  also  proven  by  the  nature  of  the  de- 
posits. 

After  a  long  interval  of  quiet,  another  upheaval 
took  place,  occasioned,  like  the  first,  by  a  subsidence 
of  the  ocean -bed.  At  this  second  folding  of  the 
earth's  crust,  the  Cascades  and  Blue  Mountains  were 
forced  up,  and  once  more  a  large  body  of  sea- water 
was  divided  off  from  tlie  ocean,  to  form  great  salt 
lakes,  which  gradually  became  fresh.  The  Blue 
Mountains  formed  an  island,  separating  the  northern 
portion  of  these  waters  from  the  southern,  which  were 


322  OREGON   AND  WASHINGTON. 

drained  respectively  by  the  Columbia  and  the  Col- 
orado rivers ;  but  not  until  by  deposits  of  various 
character  the  bottoms  of  these  basins  became  sujQfi- 
ciently  elevated. 

In  like  manner,  the  later  upheaval  of  the  Coast 
Range  caused  to  be  inclosed  between  these  mountains 
and  the  Cascade  Range  another  immense  body  of 
water,  which  became  fresh  in  time  like  the  older  lakes, 
and  with  the  gradual  elevation  of  the  sedimentar}^  de- 
posits was  finall}^  drained  off  like  them.  That  the 
dates  of  the  formation  of  these  lakes  were  widely  sep- 
arated is  evident  from  the  fossils  of  each,  which  indi»- 
cate  the  geologic  period  to  which  they  belonged;  th«^ 
deposits  of  the  Wallamet  Valley  being  the  most  re- 
cent. 

In  the  meantime,  vegetable  and  animal  life  flourished 
along  the  shores  of  these  inland  seas,  or  lakes.  There 
are  canyons  in  Eastern  Oregon,  fifteen  hundred  feet  in 
depth,  whose  walls  present  a  complete  and  undisturbed 
record  of  the  geologic  periods.  First  of  all  in  this 
record  is  the  old  ocean -bed  of  the  Cretaceous  period, 
teeming  with  myriads  of  marine  shells,  perfectly  pre- 
served in  form,  though  frequently  containing,  as  a  mold, 
a  filling  of  chalcedony  or  calcareous  spar,  making  spec- 
imens of  the  highest  beauty. 

Next  above  the  salt-water  deposits,  come  those  of 
the  earlier  Tertiary  periods.  In  this  division,  we  find 
the  leaf  impressions  of  those  grand  trees  that  flour- 
ished during  ages  of  tropical  warmth  and  moisture  : 
palms,  yew-trees,  immense  ferns.  In  some  places  an 
oak -leaf,  or  an  acorn -cup,  has  left  its  print  in  the 
rocks. 

Contemporaneous  with  the  palms  and  ferns  were  two 
species  of  rhinoceros,  and    three  or  four  species  of 


GEOLOGICAL  FORMATION  OF  OREGON.       323 

f 

Oreodon^  an  animal  allied  in  some  things  to  the  camel, 
and  in  others  to  the  tapir  family.  Another  animal  of 
a  tapir -like  appearance,  but  called  by  geologists  Lophi- 
odon,  also  lived  during  this  period,  and  loft  his  bones 
•  in  the  muddy  lake -margins  to  become  part  of  earth's 
history.  Also,  a  peccary  of  large  size,  and  an  animal 
bearing  some  resemblance  to  the  horse,  called  the 
Anchitherium — found  also  in  France,  and  in  the  Mauvais 
lerres  of  Nebraska. 

Following  this  age,  was  one  of  volcanic  action  and 
the  outpouring  of  immense  quantities  of  ashes  and  lava. 
By  the  lava -streams  issuing  from  the  Blue  Mountains 
new  barriers  were  raised,  dividing  the  northern  por- 
tion of  the  great  lake  of  Eastern  Oregon  more  com- 
pletely from  the  southern,  which,  by  reason  of  superior 
drainage,  was  the  first  to  become  dry  land.  The  lake 
on  the  northern  side  of  the  Blue  Mountains  remaining 
longest  a  lake,  continued  to  receive  the  drift  of  its 
shores  for  a  longer  period,  and  consequently  offers  a 
more  perfect  record  of  the  changes  which  took  place 
through  all  the  Tertiary  periods.  Several  of  the  strata 
formed  in  this  lake  are  of  pure  volcanic  ashes,  still 
rough  as  pumice-stone  to  the  touch. 

Thus,  this  Middle  Tertiary  period  was  closed  in  vio- 
lence. Volcanic  fire,  earthquake -shocks,  and  molten 
lava  destroyed  and  blotted  out  all  forms  of  vegetable 
and  animal  life.  The  ages  roll  on,  and  once  more  liv- 
ing forms  of  plant  and  animal  haunt  the  shores  of 
these  shallowing  lakes.  The  oak,  the  yew,  the  willow, 
have  left  their  prints  in  the  sedimentary  rocks ;  and 
the  bones  of  new  creations  of  animal  life,  such  as  the 
camel  and  the  horse,  accompany  them.  But  tlicse,  too, 
in  turn  suffer  extinction  by  violence ;  the  whole  country 
being  covered  more  than  *  thirty  feet  deep  in  volcanic 


324  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

ashes.  Indeed,  deposits  of  volcanic  ashes  exist  in 
Eastern  Oregon  which  are  one  hundred  feet  in  depth. 

After  a  long  night  of  geological  darkness,  during 
which  there  seems  to  have  been  a  subsidence  of  earth- 
quake and  volcanic  outflow,  life  once  more  appears 
upon  this  portion  of  the  earth  in  the  forms  of  ele- 
phant, ox,  horse,  and  elk  ;  accompanied  by  such  veg- 
etable forms  as  were  suitable  for  their  subsistence. 
But  yet  another  period  of  death  was  to  ensue  before 
the  frame -work  of  the  present  Oregon  was  perfected. 
And  this  time  the  desolation  appears  not  to  have  come 
from  fire,  but  from  frost  and  flood.  How  long  it  con- 
tinued, or  what  mighty  seas  of  ice  moved  over  the  face 
of  the  earth,  marking  the  hardest  rock  with  glacial 
abrasion,  none  can  tell.  But  to  have  so  clearly  writ- 
ten in  the  rocks  of  Oregon  the  geologic  history  of  at 
least  one  continent,  is  most  interesting  to  scientist  and 
amateur  alike.  So  far  as  can  be  seen,  the  Columbia 
River  Valley  must  become  the  most  desirable  field  for 
the  student  of  the  earth's  history  ;  and  also  of  re- 
search into  the  record  of  pre -historic  man.  For  here, 
somewhere  hidden  in  these  ancient  pages  of  rock, 
must  be  the  beginning  of  man's  history  preserved,  like 
that  of  God's  other  creatures,  in  tablets  of  stone. 

From  the  brief  sketch  of  Oregon's  geologic  history 
which  has  been  given,  it  will  appear  what  the  agency 
has  been  of  those  glistening  white  snow-peaks — Mt. 
Hood,  St.  Helen,  Adams,  Jefl'erson,  and  all  the  rest — 
in  forming  the  Oregon  and  Washington  of  to-day. 
Time  was  when  these  mountains  belched  forth  molten 
lava,  and  rained  hot  ashes  over  many  miles  of  countr}'' 
on  cither  side.  For  some  reason — perhaps  tlic  direction 
of  the  prevailing  winds — the  ashes  were  chiefly  de- 
posited on  the  eastern  side  of  the  range.     The  volca- 


GEOLOGICAL  FORMATION  OF  OREGON.       325 

noes  themselves,  in  general,  stand  on  the  eastern  side 
of  the  summit  of  the  range.  A  covering  of  lava,  in 
the  form  of  basaltic  rock,  conceals  from  sight  the 
record  we  have  referred  to,  except  where  by  the  action 
of  water  the  pages  of  the  book  have  been  cut  through 
from  cover  to  cover — from  ocean -bed  to  overlying 
basalt. 

For  a  distance  of  sixty  miles  east  of  Dalles  this  last 
overflow  may  be  traced,  growing  thinner  and  thinner, 
until  it  becomes  a  mere  capping  on  the  hills.  Under- 
neath it  all  is  sedimentary,  except  the  interruptions, 
several  in  number,  of  the  older  outflows  of  lava.  It 
is  owing  to  the  large  extent  to  which  volcanic  ash  en- 
ters into  the  composition  of  the  earth  and  soil  of  this 
portion  of  Oregon  and  Washington  that  both  earth  and 
water  are  so  often  strongly  alkaline.  It  forms  a  soil 
inexhaustible  in  fertility,  and  particularly  adapted  to 
the  growth  of  cereals  ;  but  owing  to  its  elevation,  and 
to  the  depth  of  the  streams  below  the  surface,  together 
with  a  dry  climate,  is  difficult  of  adaptation  to  the  uses 
of  the  grain -raiser. 

Apropos  of  the  geological  formation  of  Eastern 
Oregon,  Mr.  J.  Wasstan  writes  in  the  Overland  Monthlij, 
for  February,  1869,  the  following  : 

''Coming  from  the  north-east,  the  Blue  Range  of 
Oregon,  the  Cascade  Range  from  the  north,  and  the 
Sierra  from  the  south,  blend  into  or  form  a  vast  steppe 
or  table -land  of  lava  and  sage -fields,  interspersed  with 
a  score  of  lakes,  in  size  varying  from  five  to  forty  miles 
in  length,  and  proportionate  width.  This  high  sepa- 
rating belt  of  land  and  water  commences  at  the  Owy- 
hee River,  and  extends  westward  to  the  mountains, 
running  at  right  angles  to  the  ocean — a  length  of  three 
hundred  miles,  and  an  average  breadth  of  one  hundred 


326  OREGON   AND  WASHINGTON. 

and  fifty.  There  are  three  distinct  chains  of  lakes  in 
this  district :  The  eastern,  known  as  the  "Warner,  in- 
clusive of  the  Harney  and  Malheur.  The  second  chain 
of  lakes  may  be  called  the  Goose  Lake,  including  its 
northern  links — Albert,  Silver,  and  other  smaller  lakes. 
Goose  Lake  nestles  in  the  extreme  lorth  end  of  the 
Sierra,  and  is  the  source  of  Pitt  River,  the  main  branch 
of  the  Sacramento.  This  fact  has  been  disputed,  ow- 
ing, perhaps,  to  the  outlet  being  underground  in  the 
drier  seasons.  The  third  and  last,  and  larger  of  the 
several  chains,  is  the  Klamath,  embracing  Wright  and 
Rhett  lakes,  farther  south.  The  Warner  lakes  string 
along  more  like  a  river  ;  and  the  rapid  current,  setting 
north  at  all  tir.-'es,  is  suggestive  that  this  line  of  water 
is  really  the  outcropping  of  a  long,  subterranean  stream. 
The  amount  of  water  is  apparently  more  than  the  natu- 
ral drain  of  the  country  adjacent ;  and  the  outline  of 
a  great  river  channel  is  distinctly  traceable  to  the  lakes 
of  Harney  and  Malheur.  The  latter,  however,  are 
strongly  tinctured  with  the  alkaline  soil  surrounding. 
"The  variety  a'ld  great  quantity  of  fish  for  which 
the  streams  feeding  these  lakes  are  noted  ;  the  myriads 
of  water -fowl  of  every  conceivable  species  that  make 
these  lakes  their  summer  resort,  and  the  countless 
numbers  of  deer,  antelope,  and  the  larger  game,  con- 
tribute principally  to  make  the  district  of  the  lakes, 
what  it  surely  is,  the  happy  hunting-grounds  of  the 
expiring  race.  They  are  hardly  to  blame  for  the  tenac- 
ity displayed  in  its  defense  ;  this  broad  pass  in  the 
mountains  furnishing  the  wily  savage  with  a  hundred 
avenues  of  escape,  to  the  right  or  left,  v/ith  his  plunder 
and  his  life.  The  shelving  shores  of  the  lakes  fur- 
nished him  warm  winter  shelter,  and  the  great  depres- 
sions natural  trails  free  from  snow  in   the   severest 


GEOLOGICAL  FORMATION  OF  OREGON.       327 

seasons.  These  trails  are  carefully  flanked  at  favorable 
intervals  with  little  bastions  and  semicircular  breast- 
works of  loose  stones,  mementoes  of  Indian  skill  and 
strategy.  Aside  from  any  known  or  prospective  ma- 
terial resource,  the  district  of  the  lakes,  with  its  dense 
forests  and  weird  deserts,  picturesque  mountains  and 
delightful  valleys,  and  silent  waters  inclosed  by  per- 
pendicular walls  of  mysterious  formation,  must  ever  be 
a  scene  of  enjoyment  for  the  tourist  and  lover  of  all 
that  is  grand^  beautiful,  and  peculiar  in  Nature." 

Thus  does  the  observing  traveler  confirm  the  views 
of  the  student  of  geological  science.  The  southern 
half  of  Eastern  Oregon  retains  yet  some  of  the  feat- 
ures of  the  undrained  lake  districts  of  Oregon  and 
Washington. 

That  portion  of  Oregon  and  Washington  which  lies 
west  of  the  Cascades  is  part  of  a  great  trough,  extend- 
ing from  the  Straits  of  Fuca  to  the  Bay  of  San  Fran- 
cisco. It  is  not,  like  Eastern  Oregon,  elevated  above 
the  original  sea- bed  by  immense  deposits  of  volcanic 
matter ;  but  its  older  rocks  are  buried  from  sight  by 
deposits  of  the  Tertiary  and  post-Tertiary  periods. 

There  is  a  curious  glimpse  into  the  pre  -  historic  rec- 
ord of  man  given  by  the  fossils  of  the  Wallamet  Val- 
ley. For  instance,  the  teeth  and  tusks  of  the  elephant 
have  been  found  in  Linn,  Polk,  and  Clackamas  coun- 
ties, at  no  great  depth  below  the  surface — as  in  three 
instances  they  were  discovered  by  men  engaged  in  dig- 
ging mill  -  races,  probably  from  eight  to  twelve  feet  in 
depth.  Side  by  side  with  this  fact,  is  the  one  that  at 
a  similar  depth  some  rude  stone  carvings  have  been 
discovered,  buried  in  the  alluvial  soil  of  the  Lower 
Wallamet,  about  two  miles  above  its  junction  with  the 
Columbia,  in  Columbia  County.     Stranger  still,  there 


328  OREGON   AND    WASHINGTON.    , 

has  been  discovered  at  a  place  just  at  the  northern  end 
of  Multnomah  County,  the  remains  of  a  camp-fire, 
with  the  half- burnt  brands  lying  in  position,  as  if  the 
fire  had  but  just  gone  out,  and  buried  under  kventy- 
seven  feet  of  alluvial  deposit.  Equally  curious  is  the 
fact  that  in  the  Nehalem  Valley,  eight  miles  back  from 
the  coast,  and  twenty -fivs  feet  below  the  surface,  in 
a  plape  where  there  is  no  suggestion  even  of  a  possible 
land-slide,  was  lately  discovered  a  large  knife  of  pure 
copper,  with  a  stone  handle.  Here  is  a  souvenir  of  the 
stone  and  copper  age  !  Shall  we  ever  be  able  to  col- 
lect any  facts  concerning  these  ancient  Oregonians? 
The  paleontologists  have  here  a  splendid  field  to 
work  in. 

The  work  of  the  volcanoes  is  also  very  evident  in 
Western  Oregon.  The  valley  of  the  Lower  Columbia, 
in  particular,  reveals  the  immense  overflows  of  lava  in 
its  many  forms  of  basaltic  rock.  In  many  places,  it 
occurs  in  solid  masses  of  many  feet  in  thickness  ;  in 
others,  it  has  assumed  the  columnar  form  ;  and  in  many 
more,  it  is  broken  into  sharply  angular  fragments,  mixed 
with  earth.  The  fracture  in  the  latter  case  is  foliated 
— every  fresh  cleavage  showing  what  appears  like  the 
impression  of  palm-leaves.  The  most  interesting  form 
of  basalt  occurs  in  some  columns  in  the  high  river- 
banks  just  below  the  town  of  St.  Helen.  These  col- 
umns have  been  brought  to  view  by  the  gradual  proc- 
ess of  denudation  ;  and  now  project  only  a  dozen  foet 
or  so  of  their  tops  from  the  incline  of  the  high  bluffs. 
They  consist  of  uniform  blocks,  of  about  ten  inches 
in  thickness,  having  six  sides — laid  one  above  another 
so  as  to  appear  like  a  solid  pillar.  But  their  great  pe- 
culiarity is,  that  each  individual  block  has  a  similar- 
sized  chip  off  the  lower  side,  on  its  north-west  corner 


GEOLOGICAL  FORMATION  OF  OREGON.       329 

or  angle.  With  this  exception  the  blocks  are  flat. 
Occasionally  one  gets  thrown  off,  and  so  the  columns 
never  appear  at  any  great' height  above  the  earth  ;  but 
their  fragments  strew  the  river-bank  for  a  long  distance. 

This  basaltic  outflow  evidently  came  from  Mount  St. 
Helen.  On  any  of  the  sand-bars  in  the  Lewis  or  the 
Cathlapootle  River,  which  debouches  into  the  Colum- 
bia on  the  opposite  side,  are  to  be  found  water -rolled 
fragments  of  pumice-stone  in  abundance;  and  there 
are  seasons  of  high -water  which  bring  down  from  Mt. 
St.  Helen  by  some  of  its  streams — the  Cowlitz  in  par- 
ticular—  so  much  white  volcanic  ash  as  to  render  the 
water  milky  in  its  appearance.  It  is  somewhat  re- 
markable that  while  on  the  Oregon  side  the  basalt 
covers  every  stratified  rock  or  sedimentary  deposit,  on 
the  Washington  side  the  hills  are  immense  deposits  of 
coarse  gravel  or  sand,  and  water -rolled  stones. 

About  in  the  central  portion  of  the  Wallamet  Val- 
ley are  some  gravel  beds  of  no  great  thickness  ;  while 
in  Washington  Territory,  along  the  Columbia  and  in 
the  Puget  Sound  region,  the  soil  is  gravelly  to  an  ex- 
tent which  renders  it  almost  unfit  for  cultivation.  Did 
the  facilii^ies  which  the  Sound  offered  for  drainage  pre- 
vent the  deposit  of  soil -making  matter  during  the 
period  of  its  submergence? 

There  are  evidences,  in  the  elevated  beaches  of  the 
Oregon  and  Washington  coast,  of  great  changes  of 
water  -  level  over  that  portion  of  these  countries 
west  of  the  Cascades.  At  Shoalwater  Bay,  for  in- 
stance, where  the  action  of  the  surf  has  undermined 
large  portions  of  the  bluff  shore,  breaking  it  off,  there 
are,  exposed  to  the  eye  of  any  observer,  vertical  sec- 
tions of  sedimentary  deposit  one  hundred  feet  above 
the  present  sea -level.     Mixed  with  this  deposit,  and 

22 


66[)  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

sometimes  occurring  in  beds,  are  vast  numbers  of  sea- 
shells,  of  the  kinds  now  common  to  our  oceans.  The 
presence  of  oyster,  clam,  and  other  shells,  only  found 
in  shallow  water ;  as  also  of  trunks  of  trees,  leaves, 
seeds,  and  cones — their  forms  preserved  unbroken — 
proves  these  fossils  to  have  been  deposited  quietly  in 
water  of  no  great  depth,  and  to  have  remained  undis- 
turbed since.  Granting  this  apparent  fact,  the  waters 
in  which  they  were  deposited  must  have  stood  more 
than  a  hundred  feet  higher  than  the  present  level  of 
the  ocean;  or  enough  higher  than  the  highest  of  these 
deposits  to  have  sufficiently  covered  them. 

Mr.  Condon's  theory,  which  we  have  already  ad- 
verted to,  supposes  what  is  now  the  Wallamet  Valley 
to  have  been  the  basin  of  a  large  body  of  water,  to 
which,  in  an  article  in  the  Overhaul  Monthly,  of  Novem- 
ber, 1871,  he  gives  the  name  of  the  Wallamet  Sound. 
The  conclusion  of  that  article  has  this  interesting 
summing  up  : 

"And  now,  with  our  amended  theory  in  mind,  as  a 
measuring- rod,  let  us  retrace  our  steps  to  the  lower 
country — the  Wallamet  Sound  of  the  olden  time.  Let 
the  fall  of  the  Columbia  River,  from  this  lake -shore 
east  of  the  Cascade  Mountains  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Wallamet  River,  be  stated  at  eighty  feet.  Our  fossil 
remains  on  this  lake -shore  are  250  feet  above  the 
present  level  of  its  waters,  making  a  total  of  330  feet 
as  the  depth  of  those  waters  above  the  present  sur- 
face at  the  mouth  of  the  Wallamet  River.  How  nat- 
urally one  looks  to  the  currents  of  such  a  vast  body 
of  water  as  the  agency  competent  to  the  heaping  up 
of  that  long,  sandy  ridge,  one  hundred  feet  high, 
through  which  the  river  has  cut  its  way  at  Swan 
Island,  north  of  Portland.     But  let  us  follow  it  still 


GEOLOGICAL  FORMATION  OF  OREGON.       odi 

farther  inland.  Over  where  Portland  now  stands, 
these  waters  were  325  feet  deep ;  over  Salem,  1G5 
feet;  over  Albany,  115  feet;  over  Tualatin  Plains,  145 
feet ;  over  Lafayette,  ITO  feet.  A  narrow  strait,  over 
the  present  valley  of  the  Tualatin  River,  ten  or  twelve 
miles  in  length,  opened  westward  upon  a  broad,  beau- 
tiful bay,  extending  over  the  present  sites  of  Ilillsboro 
and  Forest  Grove,  to  Gale's  Peak,  among  the  foot- 
hills of  thti  Coast  Range.  The  subsoil  of  the  fine 
farms  of  that  rich  agricultural  region,  is  itself  the 
muddy  sediment  of  that  bay.  Farther  south,  over 
the  central  portion  of  the  present  valley,  and  lying 
obliquely  across  the  widest  part  of  that  Wallamet  Sound, 
there  arose  above  those  waters  an  elevated  island.  It 
extended  from  a  point  south  of  Lafayette  to  one  near 
Salem,  and  must  have  formed  a  fme  central  object  in 
the  scene.  Three  or  four  volcanic  islands  extended,  in 
an  irregular  semicircle,  where  Linn  County  now  is  ; 
and  the  islands  of  those  waters  are  the  Buttes  of  to- 
day— Knox's,  Peterson's,  and  Ward's.  One  standing 
on  the  summit  of  either  of  these  Buttes,  with  the  sug- 
gestions of  these  pages  before  him,  could  so  easily  and 
vividly  imagine  those  waters  recalled,  as  to  almost 
persuade  himself  he  heard  the  murmuring  of  their 
ripples  at  his  feet — so  sea- like,  the  extended  plain 
around  him — so  shore -like,  that  line  of  hills,  from 
Mary's  Peak,  on  the  west,  to  Spencer's  Butte,  on  the 
south,  and  only  lost,  on  the  east,  among  the  intricate 
windings  of  extended  slopes  among  the  foot-hills  of 
the  Cascades.  How  natural  would  seem  to  him  this 
restoration  of  one  of  geology's  yesterdays  ! 

''The  shores  of  that  fme  old  Wallamet  Sound  teemed 
with  the  life  of  the  period.  It  is  marvelous,  that  so 
few  excavations  in  the  Wallamet  Valley  have  failed  to 


332  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

uncover  some  of  these  relics  of  the  past.  Bones, 
teeth,  and  tusks,  proving  a  wide  range  of  animal  life, 
are  often  found  in  ditches,  mill-races,  crumbling  cliffs, 
and  other  exposures  of  the  sediments  of  those  waters, 
and  often  within  a  few  feet  of  the  surface.  Did  man, 
too,  live  there  then?  We  need  not  point  out  the  evi- 
dences of  increasing  interest  the  world  feels  in  facts 
that  tend  to  solve  the  doubts  that  cluster  around  this 
natural  inquiry.  A  few  more  mill-races  dug,  a  few 
more  ■  excavations  of  winter  floods  —  more  careful 
search  where  mountain  streams  wash  their  trophies  to 
their  burial  under  still  waters — and  this  question  may 
be  set  at  rest,  as  regards  that  Wallamet  Sound.  Ore- 
gon does  not  answer  it  yet." 

Oregon  has  no  State  Geologist ;  and  so  far  has  been 
subject  to  the  investigations,  chiefly,  of  one  man,  Mr. 
Condon,  with  the  exception  of  such  slight  observations 
as  have  been  made  from  time  to  time  by  the  Govern- 
ment explorers  for  the  Pacific  Railroad.  That  it  is  a 
field  well  worthy  of  scientific  research  there  can  be 
no  doubt,  nor  that  it  is  one  which  will  richly  reward 
the  necessary  outlay  of  money. 


CHAPTER    XXXII. 

MINERALOGY  OF  OREGON. 

The  valuable  minerals  of  Oregon  are  :  first,  the  pre- 
cious metals,  gold  and  silver ;  and  second,  copper, 
lead,  iron,  coal,  marble,  and  salt.  There  are  also 
various  earths  and  stones  useful  for  manufacturing  pur- 
poses, and  doubtless  minerals  of  greater  value  concealed 
in  the  almost  wholly  unexplored  mountain  ranges, 
which  the  further  development  of  the  country  will 
bring  into  notice. 

Concerning  the  formation  of  the  metals,  more  espe- 
cially of  gold,  there  are  many  theories.  The  age  of 
the  rocks  associated  with  gold  must  serve  as  an  indica- 
tion of  some  value  in  pointing  out  its  origin ;  the 
most  probable  theory  of  which  seems  to  be,  that,  at  a 
period  when  great  changes  were  going  on  in  the  shape 
of  the  earth,  the  upheaval  of  mountains  and  overflow 
of  volcanoes,  certain  vapors  contained  in  the  earth 
being  forced  by  heat  and  pressure  into  the  fissures  of 
rock  already  hardened.  Or  even  into  the  substance  of 
rock  not  yet  solidified,  became  precipitated  in  the  form 
of  gold  upon  the  walls  of  the  cavities  which  shut 
them  in.  Much  of  this  gold  was  subsequently  set  free 
by  the  action  of  the  water,  and  is  found  mixed  with 
sand  and  gravel,  or  earthy  matter,  in  old  river-beds  or 
valleys  between  high  mountains.  Much  of  it  still  re- 
mains in  its  original  position,  and  has  to  be  got  out  of 
the  rock  by  blasting  and  crushing. 


334  OREGON    AND   WASHINGTON. 

The  gold  -  fields  of  Oregon  lie  along  the  bases  of,  or 
in  close  neighborhood  to,  its  mountain  ranges  ;  and 
there  is  no  mountain  chain  which  has  not  somewhere 
along  it  a  gold-field,  more  or  less  productive.  As  to 
the  mountains  themselves,  in  Western  Oregon,  their 
rugged  nature  and  impenetrable  covering  of  timber  have 
prevented  their  being  prospected.  It  is  only  in  the 
placer  diggings  of  the  southern  counties,  and  the  beach 
diggings  of  the  coast  counties,  that  mining  for  gold 
has  been  carried  on  to  any  extent. 

After  the  rush  of  '49  to  the  gold -bars  of  the  Cali- 
fornia rivers  had  made  miners  and  experts  of  a  hither- 
to purely  agricultural  population  in  Oregon,  they 
began  to  find  indications  on  their  own  soil  of  the  ex- 
istence of  the  precious  metal.  Traveling  overland  to 
and  from  California  gave  them  opportunities  of  ob- 
serving the  nature  of  the  country,  and  it  was  not  long 
before  the  gold -hunters  stopped  north  of  the  Califor- 
nia line.  As  early  as  1852  good  placer  diggings  began 
to  be  discovered,  and  for  a  number  of  years  were 
worked  with  profit.  They  still  yield  moderately,  but 
are  chiefl}^  abandoned  to  the  Chinese  miners,  who 
content  themselves  with  smaller  profits  than  our  own 
people. 

Jackson  County  is  divided  into  several  mining  dis- 
tricts, the  gold  being  placer  and  coarse  gold.  For- 
merly some  nuggets  were  found  not  far  from  Jackson- 
ville, worth  from  $10  to  $40,  $100,  and  even  $900;  but 
no  such  discoveries  have  occurred  of  late. 

The  annual  production  of  gold  in  Jackson  County 
is  a  little  over  $200,000.  About  five  hundred  Amer- 
ican miners  and  six  hundred  Chinese  miners  employ 
tlicmsclves  in  wasliing  out  gold  dust.  It  will  be  seen, 
by  averaging  the  amount  produced  among  the  number 


MINERALOGY   OF   OREGON.  335 

producing  it,  that  it  can  not  be,  on  the  average,  a  pa}-- 
ing  business. 

Of  the  quartz  ledges,  some  of  which  are  of  un- 
doubted richness,  very  few  have  been  worked  at  all, 
and  those  which  have,  only  very  imperfectly.  In  one 
of  these,  the  Gold  Hill  vein,  a  few  miles  from  Jack- 
sonville, $400,000  was  taken  out  of  a  "pocket,"  after 
which  the  lead  was  lost,  an(i  the  mine  abandoned. 
From  this  pocket  was  taken  a  kind  of  gold  peculiar  to 
tlie  deposit  of  the  Cascade  Range,  called  "thread 
gold."  It  is  found  in  pockets,  or  basins,  or  chimneys 
of  rotten  quartz,  occurring  in  veins  of  pure  white 
quartz;  and  is  really  a  mass  of  pure  gold-threads, 
often  in  skeins,  that,  when  examined  under  a  glass, 
seem  to  be  twisted  —  often  arranged  so  as  to  resemble 
the  bullion  used  for  officers'  epaulettes.  It  is  very 
much  matted  together,  holding  in  its  tangled  grasp 
small  pieces  of  yellowish  quartz.  The  same  kind  of 
gold  is  found  in  the  Wallamet  Valley,  on  the  Santiam 
River  ;  and  in  both  instances  is  associated  with  free 
gold,  embedded  in  hard,  snow-white  quartz.  The  spec- 
imens taken  from  these  mines  were  very  beautiful 
and  extremely  curious,  and  ought  not  to  have  been 
subjected  to  the  crushing  process ;  being  worth  more 
as  specimens  than  as  gold. 

'Salt,  coal,  and  iron  exist  plentifully  in  Jackson 
County.  Quicksilver  is  reported  to  have  been  discov- 
ered, but,  so  far,  has  never  been  worked. 

Josephine  and  Curry  counties  furnish  gold  in  about 
the  same  proportion  to  the  amount  of  labor  expended, 
that  Jackson  docs.  Its  quartz  leads  have  never  been 
opened  to  any  extent.  One  of  the  most  promising 
mineral  productions  of  these  counties  is  copper,  wliich, 
if  not  too  pure  to  work  to  advantage,  will  yet  make 


336  OREGON   AND    WASHINGTON. 

this  portion  of  Oregon  famous.  Curry  County  em- 
braces some  of  the  most  valuable  beach  diggings  on 
the  coast. 

Coos  County  has  also  its  gol^l,  silver,  and  copper- 
mines  of  undisputed  richness.  But  it  owes  most  of 
its  present  celebrity  as  a  mineral  county  to  its  coal, 
which,  for  several  years,  has  sold  readily  in  the  San 
Francisco  market ;  and  the  supply  is  apparently  inex- 
haustible. 

Douglas  County  has  a  gold-field  situated  on  the  Mid- 
dle Fork  of  the  Urapqua,  and  extending  along  the  sev- 
eral creeks  which  head  in  the  Cascade  Mountains  and 
their  lateral  spurs.  Considerable  gold  has.  been  taken 
out  of  the  Middle  Fork,  Mj^rtle  Creek,  Cow  Creek,  and 
Coffee  Creek  diggings ;  and  new  ones  are  from  time  to 
time  discovered.  Silver  is  also  known  to  exist  in  this 
county,  though  it  never  has  been  mined.  Marble  and 
salt  are  among  its  mineral  productions  ;  but  its  people 
being  almost  entirely  an  agricultural  and  pastoral  com- 
munity, little  attention  is  given  to  any  thing  except 
farming  and  grazing.  About  where  the  north  line  of 
Douglas  County  intersects  the  Cascade  Range  a  gold- 
mine has  recently  been  opened,  which  promises  to  turn 
out  very  rich.  Already  a  large  amount  of  the  precious 
metal  has  been  taken  out,  and  the  indications  continue 
to  be  good.     This  mine  is  called  the  "Bohemia." 

There  are  no  counties  in  the  Wallamet  Valley  known 
as  mineral  districts.  That  gold  and  silver  exist  in  the 
western  slope  of  the  Cascade  Mountains  is  a  well- 
known  fact.  So  far  it  has  been  mined  only  on  the 
Santiam  River,  where  the  famous  pocket  before  men- 
tioned was  emptied  of  its  contents.  Many  other  lodes 
were  located,  but  nothing  has  subsequently  been  done 
toward  developing  them.     Other  discoveries  have  been 


MINERALOGY   OF   OREGON.  337 

made  nearer  the  Columbia  River,  in  Oregon,  and  simi- 
lar ones  on  the  northern  side  of  the  Columbia,  in  Wash- 
ington. Lead  has  recently  been  discovered  in  Linn 
County,  near  the  Santiam  gold-mines  ;  and  it  must  be 
regarded  as  inevitable  that  the  base  of  the  Cascade 
Kange  shall  furnish  in  the  future  very  considerable 
mineral  interests. 

The  coal  and  iron  of  the  Wallamet  Yalloy,  so  far  as 
yet  discovered,  is  found  at  its  northern  end,  either  upon 
or  within  a  few  miles  of  the  Columbia  River.  Lime- 
stone, which  is  very  rare  in  Oregon,  is  found  in  Clack- 
amas County,  not  many  miles  from  Oregon  City.  Salt 
is  found  in  Multnomah  and  Columbia  counties,  as  also 
iron  and  coal.  Black  marble  has  been  discovered  in 
the  mountains  on  the  Washington  side  near  the  Lewis 
River,  but  has  never  been  quarried.  Some  very  good 
building -stone  is  also  found  in  this  locality. 

Coal  crops  out  frequently  on  both  sides  of  the  Co- 
lumbia River,  from  the  mouth  of  the  Lower  Wallamet 
to  the  sea.  In  the  Valley  of  the  Cowlitz  there  is  an  ex- 
tensive deposit,  of  a  good  quality  for  fuel.  Its  steam- 
ing or  gas -making  qualities  have  never  been  tested. 
In  appearance  it  resembles  the  Scotch  cannel  coal, 
burning  freely  when  lighted  at  a  candle,  or  in  the  open 
air.  It  has,  notwithstanding,  a  woody  structure,  which 
places  it  among  the  lignites  •  and  checks  badly  on  ex- 
posure to  the  air.  It  has  not,  however,  been  worked 
sufficiently  to  afford  a  determinate  judgment  upon  its 
commercial  value. 

Near  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia,  on  the  Washing- 
ton side,  at  Knappton,  is  a  cement  factory.  The  scar- 
city of  limestone  on  the  north-west  coast,  and  the  cost 
of  importing  lime  and  cement  from  California,  caused 
an  enterprising  firm  of  Portland  to  attempt  the  experi- 


338  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

ment  of  making  the  latter  article  from  bowlders  found 
in  this  locality,  containing  a  considerable  proportion 
of  the  necessary  ingredients.  The  enterprise  resulted 
ill  the  production  of  a  fair  article  so  long  as  the  supply 
of  bowlders  lasted  ;  but  since  the  failure  of  this  ma- 
terial the  works  have  to  depend  upon  a  quarry  of  simi- 
lar rock  in  the  hills  adjoining,  and  it  is  not  yet  deter- 
mined whether  or  not  the  new  cement  will  equal  that 
produced  from  the  bowlders.  The  capacity  of  the 
works  is  thirty-five  barrels  daily.  Mr.  Knapp,  the  en- 
ergetic proprietor,  has  erected  a  most  complete  estab- 
lishment, and  intends  to  carry  on  his  experiments  to 
an  anticipated  success.  Quite  recently  a  silver  lode  of 
great  richness  is  said  to  have  been  discovered  in  the 
vicinity  of  Astoria ;  but  the  working  of  silver  being 
so  expensive,  these  rumors  excite  but  little  attention 
from  that  class  of  people  who  would  have  means  to 
develop  a  mine  of  this  kind  ;  yet  the  discovery  may 
lead  to  the  future  development  of  mineral  wealth  in 
this  vicinity. 

There  are  in  Oregon  and  "Washington  several  facto- 
ries for  the  manufacture  of  common  pottery ;  one  at 
Vancouver,  on  the  Columbia,  and  another  at  Buena 
Vista,  on  the  Wallamet.  There  exist,  in  favorable  lo- 
calities, the  best  materials  for  the  manufacture  of  fine 
earthenware  ;  clays  of  great  smoothness  and  fineness  ; 
and  beds  of  volcanic  substances,  which,  when  fused, 
would  evidently  make  a  beautiful  enamel. 

The  manufacture  of  salt  was  attempted,  in  1867,  in 
the  northern  end  of  Multnomah  County,  about  half  a 
mile  from  the  Lower  Wallamct  Iliver.  The  experi- 
ment proved  highly  satisfactory,  so  far  as  the  quality 
of  the  salt  produced  was  concerned  ;  but  the  capital 
required  to  make  it  a  paying,  business  has  prevented 


MINERALOGY   OF   OREGON.  339 

its  success  in  a  financial  point  of  view.  Other  salt- 
works, on  a  small  scale,  have  been  operated  in  Polk 
and  Douglas  counties.  The  salt  made  in  Oregon  is  of 
a  remarkable  purity  ;  so  much  so  that  a  specimen  of  it 
was  taken  to  the  Paris  Exposition  by  Prof.  Wm.  P. 
Blake,  of  the  California  Commission.  The  chemists 
of  San  Francisco  pronounce  it  pure  enough  for  the 
uses  of  the  laboratory  without  being  clarified,  whicli 
no  other  salt  in  the  market  is. 

Notwithstanding  the  amount  and  excellence  of  the 
iron  ores  of  Oregon,  they  have  never  yet  been  made 
so  profitable  as  they  should  be.  The  only  works  for 
the  manufacture  of  iron  are  those  located  at  Oswego, 
on  the  Wallamet  River,  six  miles  above  Portland.  The 
quality  of  the  iron  there  made  is  said  to  be  equal  to 
the  best  Swedish ;  but  the  cost  of  its  manufacture, 
arising  from  the  high  price  of  labor,  and  also  some- 
what from  some  ineligibility  in  the  situation  of  the 
works,  has  prevented  their  entire  success.  A  better 
situation  for  iron -works  is  on  a  bay  of  the  Columbia, 
extending  back  of  the  town  of  St.  Helen,  in  Columbia 
County,  where  extensive  beds  of  ore  exist  in  connec- 
tion with  coal,  wood,  fine  water-power,  and  navigable 
water. 

This  is  a  brief  account  of  the  present  mineral  pro- 
ductions of  Western  Oregon,  sometime,  no  doubt,  to 
become  famous  for  its  manufactures,  supplied  by  its 
home  resources. 

The  eastern  slopes  of  the  Cascade  Mountains  do  not, 
like  the  western,  furnish  gold-fields.  Whatever  treas- 
ure the  laboratories  of  the  far  -  distant  past  deposited 
in  their  depths,  volcanic  overflow  subsequently  con- 
cealed from  human  research,  burying  it  under  many 
successive  layers  of  eternal  basalt.     The  gold-field  of 


340  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

Eastern  Oregon  is  to  be  found  along  the  slopes  and 
among  the  ridges  of  the  Blue  Mountains,  where  the 
marine  fossils  are  not  covered  over  by  trap-rock.  Ac- 
cording to  Mr.  Condon,  the  older  marine  rocks,  con- 
taining fossils  of  the  Hynconella,  Cyrtoceras,  and  other 
marine  shells,  may  be  considered  indicative  of  the 
vicinage  of  gold-bearing  rock. 

The  counties  of  Eastern  Oregon,  known  as  gold- 
producing,  are  Union,  Grant,  and  Baker.  The  min- 
eral districts  are  located  on  Powder  River  and  Eagle 
Creek,  in  Union  County;  on  the  head -waters  of  the 
John  Day,  in  Grant  County ;  and  on  Burnt  River  and 
the  head -waters  of  Powder  River,  in  Baker  County. 
Quite  recently  mineral  discoveries  have  been  made  in 
the  mountains  about  Goose  Lake,  in  the  extreme  south- 
ern portion  of  Grant  County,  but  have  not  yet  been 
sufficiently  worked  to  test  their  value. 

Most  of  the  gold  produced  in  these  counties  has 
been  taken  from  placer -mines,  which  generally  have 
yielded  well.  Many  quartz  lodes  have  also  been  loca- 
ted, and  a  few  containing  free  gold  have  been  worked 
with  good  results.  Quartz -mining  has  not,  however, 
been  carried  on  to  any  great  extent  in  Eastern  Oregon, 
the  capital  required  to  get  out  the  ore  and  erect  mills 
being  wanting.  It  remains  for  wealthy  companies  in 
the  future  to  undertake  this  order  of  mining. 

Silver  lodes,  some  of  great  richness,  have  been  dis- 
covered in  Baker  County,  a  number  of  whicli  are 
being  worked,  but  not  to  any  great  extent.  One  is 
said  to  have  yielded  at  the  rate  of  over  $7,000  per 
ton,  by  smelting  on  a  common  blacksmith's  forge. 
What  its  working  yield  has  been,  we  have  not  yet  been 
able  to  learn. 

Coal,  iron,  lead,  and  copper  have  been  discovered  in 


MINERALOGY   OF   OREGON.  341 

the  mineral  districts  of  Eastern  Oregon ;  without, 
however,  exciting  much  interest,  owing  to  the  prece- 
dence given  to  the  precious  metals,  as  well  as  to  difficult 
transportation,  distance  from  markets,  and  other  hin- 
derances  common  to  newly  settled  territories. 

There  are  no  very  correct  means  of  estimating  the 
gold  product  of  Eastern  Oregon  and  Washington.  The 
gold-fields  of  the  north-eastern  portion  of  the  Terri- 
tory have  contributed  a  certain  share  to  the  general 
amount  of  bullion  received  by  the  Express -office  and 
banks,  which  ship  the  gold  to  San  Francisco  ;  but  it 
can  not  be  separated  from  that  of  Oregon,  Idaho, 
British  Columbia,  or  Montana.  It  is  only  the  gold  of 
Northern  Idaho  that  goes  to  the  California  Mint  by 
way  of  Portland.  All  the  gold  of  the  southern  por- 
tion of  that  Territory,  and  perhaps  a  part  of  that  pro- 
duced in  Baker  County,  Oregon,  goes  to  San  Francisco 
by  Wells,  Fargo  k  Co.'s  stages,  overland. 

There  has  been  a  regular  decrease  in  the  shipments 
of  bullion  by  way  of  Portland  since  1864,  when  the 
mining  excitement  in  Idaho  and  Eastern  Oregon  was 
at  its  height.  The  shipments  of  Wells,  Fargo  k  Co. 
from  Portland  have  been  as  follows:  1864,  $6,200,000; 
1865,  $5,800,000;  1866,  $5,400,000;  1867,  $4,000,000; 
1868,  $3,037,000;  1869,  $2,559,000;  1870,  $1,547,000. 
The  shipments  of  Ladd  «fe  Tilton,  bankers,  of  Portland, 
for  1869,  were  $419,657.  There  is  always  a  consid- 
erable amount  of  gold  dust  conveyed  by  private  hands 
at  the  close  of  the  mining  season,  which  can  not  be 
correctly  estimated.  Add  to  this  the  gold  produced 
in  Southern  Oregon,  which  is  about  $400,000,  and  the 
sum  total  of  all  the  bullion  produced  in  Oregon  and 
Washington  will  amount,  for  1870,  to  about  $2,000,000 ; 
whereas,  it  was  probably  $3,000,000  for  the  preceding 


342  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

year.  This  decrease  is  owing  partly  to  the  exhaustion 
of  old  diggings,  and  partly  to  the  opening  of  other 
routes  of  travel,  by  which  the  gold  dust  is  scattered 
in  many  directions,  instead  of  flowing  through  one 
channel  only,  as  in  1864. 

There  is  no  longer  any  excitement  about  mining  in 
any  part  of  Oregon,  or  the  adjacent  Territories.  It 
has  assumed  the  aspect  of  a  steady  industry,  and  as 
such  will  long  continue  to  contribute  to  the  wealth  of 
the  State,  in  connection  with  agriculture,  manufact- 
ures, and  every  form  of  productive  labor. 


I 


CHAPTER    XXXIII. 

ABOUT   FARMING,   AND    OTHER   BUSINESS. 

The  soils  of  Oregon  and  Washington  have  been 
ah'eady  frequently  mentioned  as  being  a  rich,  sandy 
loam  in  the  central  valleys ;  a  still  richer  alluvial, 
loamy  soil  in  the  small  valleys  of  the  mountain  and 
coast  regions,  and  a  greater  proportion  of  clay  on  the 
hills ;  while  the  soil  of  the  great  rolling  prairies  is  fine 
and  mellow,  with  considerable  alkali  in  it.  We  have 
no  intention  of  expatiating  further  upon  their  respective 
merits ;  but  have  thrown  together  clippings  from  the 
papers  published  in  various  parts  of  the  country,  from 
which  the  reader  may  be  able  to  form  an  estimate  for 
himself  of  their  productiveness  in  general : 

"Mr.  Jake  Greazier,  of  North  Yamhill,  sowed  twenty-one  acres 
of  land  in  wheat,  the  yield  of  which  was  nine  hundred  and  sixty 
bushels;  an  average  of  foi-ty-five  and  two-thu'ds  bushels  to  the 
acre.  The  yield  of  his  oats  was  sixty  bushels  to  the  acre.  We 
do  not  claim  for  all  of  Oregon  as  large  an  average  yield  as  the 
above;  but  we  do  claim  this,  that  when  the  land  is  properly  farmed 
the  yield  will  be  near  the  amount  above  named.  To  be  projierly 
farmed,  all  wheat  should  be  sown  in  the  fall.  In  California  they 
are  adopting  nearly  altogether  summer  fallowing,  and  find  that 
they  are  more  than  repaid  in  so  doing." — Portland  Oregonian. 

"We  'call'  you,  Mr.  Oregonian.  In  this  county,  Mr.  Chris- 
tian Mayer  has  harvested  fifty  acres  of  wheat,  which  yields  sixty- 
four  bushels  to  the  acre  ;  Stephen  Brinkerhoff,  thrrty  acres,  aver- 
aging sixty  bushels,  and  Orley  Hull,  eighty  acres,  with  an  average 
of  forty -six  bushels.  We,  of  course,  can  not  vouch  for  these 
statements,  as  we  did  not  see  the  grain  measured,  but  we  take 
the  word  of  the  gentlemen  and  their  neighbors.     They  are  all 


344  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

well-known  farmers  here,  and  any  one  who  thinks  the  figures  too 
large  can  find  out  by  asking  for  themselves.  We  do  not  wish  to 
boast,  but  we  claim  the  'belt'  for  "Walla Walla  as  a  wheat-grow- 
ing countiy." 

"Douglas  County. — The  Plaindealer  says  that  S.  C.  Moore, 
who  resides  on  the  South  Umpqua,  five  miles  south  of  Rosebiu-g, 
this  year  cut  a  field  of  wheat,  containing  eighteen  acres,  which 
yielded  forty -five  bushels  to  the  acre.  The  land  and  grain  were 
.both  accurately  measured.  The  waste  caused  by  some  of  the  wheat 
being  down,  was  estimated  at  five  bushels  to  the  acre.  The 
Plaindealer  thinks  this  a  good  crop,  taking  into  consideration  the 
fact  that  the  season  has  not  been  a  very  favorable  one." 

"  Still  Better. — Mr.  Bleachleg,  who  lives  about  ten  miles  be- 
low Eugene  City,  says  the  Journal,  has  harvested  this  season  an 
average  of  over  fifty  bushels  of  wheat  to  the  acre,  and  from  four 
acres  a  yield  of  over  sixty  bushels  to  the  acre." 

"The  Albany  Register  states  that  a  field  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  acres  in  Linn  County  yielded  8,250  bushels  of  the  finest 
quality  of  wheat,  the  average  being  fifty -five  bushels  per  acre." 

"A  field  of  wheat  of  sixty  acres,  belonging  to  Mr.  Blackley, 
of  Lane  County,  averages  fifty  bushels  to  the-  acre.  Four  acres 
yielded  sixty  bushels  to  the  acre." 

"The  eastern  country  is  boasting  of  mammoth  squashes.  The 
Baker  City  Democrat  speaks  of  one  weighing  seventy-three  pounds. 
The  Winnemucca  Register  has  seen  one  weighing  seventy -five 
pounds.  And  now  comes  the  Owyhee  Avalanche,  '  raising '  its 
contemporaries  by  declaring  that  one  is  on  exhibition  in  iis  town 
which  weighs  one  hundred  and  six  pounds.  As  the  Avalanche 
had  the  last  say  it  would  have  been  its  own  favdt  if  it  had  not 
told  the  story  of  the  largest  pumpkin." 

"Oregon  Cuerries. — From  the  San  Francisco  Alta,  of  July 
30th,  we  copy  this  ; 

"  '  A  brancli  from  a  cherrj'-tree  was  shown  to  us  yesterday  which 
was  certainly  a  little  ahead  of  the  average.  It  measured  five  feet 
in  length,  weighed  seven  pounds,  and  had  three  hundred  and 
fifty -four  cheri^ies  upon  it.  The  variety  is  known  as  tlio  '  Royal 
Anne.'  It  was  from  Seth  Luelliug's  nursery  on  the  Wallamet, 
near  Portland,  Oregon.  It  will  remain  for  a  short  time  on  exhi- 
bition at  Steele's  drug  store,  Montgomery  Street.' 

"Tho  branch  of  cherries  from  Mr.  Luelling's  nursery,  now  on 


ABOUT   FARMING,    AND   OTHER   BUSINESS.  345 

exhibition  at  Foriy,  Russell  &  Woodward's,  cornei*  of  Front  and 
Alder  streets,  is  only  twenty -two  inches  lon^',  and  weighs  over 
five  pounds.  There  are  too  many  cherries  on  it  to  count,  but  a 
thousand  would  be  a  safe  guess,  we  think,  and  they  are  all  huge 
'Royal  Anues.'  If  that  branch  astonishes  the  San  Franciscans, 
they  ought  to  see  the  one  we  speak  of." — Porlland  Bulletin. 

"I  have  seen  large  fields  of  wheat  average  fifty -six  bushels  to 
the  acre,  and  weigh  sixty -two  pounds  to  the  bushel;  and  have 
seen  fields  which  yielded  forty  to  fifty  bushels  per  acre,  from  a 
'volunteer'  crop;  that  is,  produced  the  second  year  from  grain 
shattered  out  during  hai-vest,  sprouting  during  the  fall,  and  grow- 
ing without  even  harrowing.  We  generally  raise  the  variety 
known  as  '  Club,'  and  sow  it  in  the  fall  or  spring.  Wo  produce 
about  forty  bushels  of  corn  to  the  acre,  of  the  large  Yellow  Dent 
variety,  and  it  ripens  nicely  by  the  first  of  September.  The  po- 
tato is  pei'fectly  at  home  hero,  growing  large,  fine,  and  mealj-.  I 
let  a  neighbor  have  nine  pounds  of  the  early  Goodrich  variety, 
last  spring,  from  which  he  raised  1,575  pounds.  Sweet  potatoes 
yield  finely,  but  they  are  not  so  sweet  as  farther  south.  Turnips, 
beets,  cabbages,  tomatoes,  peas,  beans,  onions,  are  all  raised  with 
ease  and  in  great  abundance.  Although  the  country  has  been 
settled  but  a  few  years,  there  are  already  a  number  of  fine -bear- 
ing orchards.  I  commenced  here  six  years  ago  last  spring,  on 
ground  that  had  never  been  fenced  or  plowed.  After  thoi-oughly 
plowing  up  about  five  aci'es  of  ground,  I  jDlanted  it  in  orchard 
with  small  yearling  trees.  This  year  I  had  one  thousand  bushels 
of  the  finest  peaches  that  I  ever  saw  grown  —  fully  equal  to  the 
best  Delaware  and  New  Jersey  peaches — besides  large  quantities 
of  apples,  pears,  plums,  cherries,  apricots,  gi*apes,  and  eveiy  va- 
riety of  small  fruits.  Fi-uits  of  all  kinds  are  perfect  in  every  re- 
spect in  this  climate,  particularly  plums,  the  curculio  having 
never  been  seen,  I  have  one  hundred  bearing  plum-trees.  One 
Imperial  Gage,  two  years  ago,  produced  four  hundred  jDOunds  of 
delicious,  rich  fruit,  which  brought  eight  cents  per  pound  in 
gold  ;  last  year  it  had  about  the  same  amount  of  fruit,  which  sold 
for  twelve  and  a  half  cents  per  pound,  gold ;  many  other  trees 
did  nearly  as  well.  There  are  a  large  number  of  orchards  just 
coming  into  bearing  in  this  country,  which  will,  of  course,  bring 
down  the  piice  of  fi-uit." — Philip  liifz,  of  Walla  Walla. 

"The  Department  of  Agriculture,  in  the  repoi't  of  1870,  puts 
the  average  wheat  yield  of  Oregon  at  twenty  bushels  per  acre, 
23 


346  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

which  was,  according  to  that  report,  one  bushel  higher  than  the 
yield  of  any  other  State.  Minnesota  came  next,  with  a  yield  of 
nineteen  bushels.  The  fact  is,  that  good  tillage  in  the  Wallamet 
Valley  will  obtain  an  average  yield  of  thirty  bushels  to  the  acre, 
one  year  -with  another.  The  records  of  our  agricultural  societies 
show  that  pi'emiums  have  often  been  given  on  wheat  fields  yield- 
ing forty,  fifty,  and  even  sixty,  bushels  per  acre ;  and  that  from 
sixty  r  three  to  sixty -seven  pounds  per  bushel  is  not  uncommon. 
In  Marion  County  the  average  in  an  entire  neighborhood,  one 
year,  embracing  a  dozen  or  fifteen  farms,  was  ascertained  to  be  as 
high  as  thirty-four  and  a  fourth  bushels  per  acre.  The  wheat  of 
the  Wallamet  Valley  is  of  a  superior  quality.  It  contains  more 
gluten  than  wheat  raised  anywhere  on  the  Pacific  Coast ;  and  on 
that  account,  the  flour  made  from  it  commands  in  San  Francisco, 
where  its  quality  has  become  known,  a  higher  price  than  any 
other,  among  bakers  and  large  hotel -keepers,  for  it  is  more  prof- 
itable ;  it  makes  a  greater  weight  of  bread  to  a  given  quantity  of 
flour.  * 

"Oats  is  the  principal  crop  raised  for  feed  in  the  Wallamet 
Valley.  It  is  always  a  sure  crop,  yielding  from  fifty  to  one  hun-: 
dred  bushels  per  acre.  It  weighs  usually  from  thirty  -  six  to  forty- 
three  pounds  per  bushel,  and  commands  from  ten  to  fifteen  cenls 
per  hundred  pounds  more  in  the  San  Francisco  market  than  Cali- 
fornia oats.  Corn  and  barley  are  cultivated  in  the  Wallamet  Val- 
ley to  some  extent,  and  good  crops  of  both  have  been  raised,  yet 
they  are  not  well  adapted  to  the  climate.  In  some  particularly 
warm  localities  corn  is  raised  every  year  for  fattening  hogs.  The 
bulk  of  the  pork,  however,  is  fattened  on  wheat.  It  is  a  cheaper 
feed,  and,  with  experience  in  curing,  has  been  found  to  make 
equally  good  meat.  Rye  and  buckwheat  are  good  crops ;  tJie 
former  yielding  from  twenty  to  thirty  bushels  per  acre,  and  the 
latter  from  forty  to  fifty  bushels.  These  crops  do  best  on  the 
hilly  lands  of  the  valley.  They  are  always  sure.  The  rye  and 
buckwheat  flour  of  the  Wallamet  Valley  is  superior  to  that  of  any 
other  part  of  the  Pacific  Coast. 

"Timothy,  clover,  blue -grass,  and  several  other  varieties  of 
grass,  are  cultivated  throughout  the  valley  for  hay  and  feed. 
Timothy  is  the  principal  dependence  for  a  hay  crop.  On  the  rich 
bottoms  and  swales  it  yields  from  two  to  four  tons  i:>er  acre,  and 
is  always  a  sure  crop.  The  native  grasses  of  the  valley  furnish 
excellent  pasturage,  summer  and  winter,  for  stock  of  all  kinds. 


ABOUT   FARMING,  AND   OTHER   BUSINESS,  347 

They  are  not  equal  to  the  grasses  of  Eastern  Oregon  for  making 
beef,  but  they  can  not  be  excelled  for  daiiy  purposes,  especially 
on  the  bottom-lands  of  the  Wallamet  and  Columbia,  in  the  north- 
ern j)art  of  the  valley.  These  overflow  in  June,  every  year,  from 
the  melting  snows  in  the  mountains,  that  swell  the  Columbia  be- 
3'ond  its  banks.  After  the  overflow  subsides  the  grass  comes  for- 
ward quickly,  furnishes  a  crop  of  hay,  and  then  pasturage  the 
ensuing  fall  and  winter.  No  gi-ass  in  the  world,  wild  or  tame, 
is  better  adapted  to  making  butter  and  cheese.  The  time  was, 
only  a  few  years  ago,  when  Oregon  did  not  make  good  butter 
enough  for  home  consumption.  Even  now  avast  amount  of  but- 
ter is  made  here  and  shipped  out  of  the  State,  that  is  a  disgrace 
to  the  name.  It  is  because  very  many  people  do  not  know  how 
to  make  a  good  article,  and  they  are  too  careless  and  indifferent 
to  learn,  or  to  appreciate  a  good  article  of  butter  when  they  see 
it.  Within  the  past  few  years  a  few  men  have  taken  hold  of  the 
butter  business  near  Portland,  and  are  making  a  splendid  article 
of  butter,  demonstrating!  that  the  wild  grass  of  this  section  has 
no  superior  for  that  purpose. 

"The  fruits  best  adapted  to  the  soil  and  climate  of  the  Wal- 
lamet, are,  apples,  pears,  plums,  cherries,  quinces,  currants,  and 
all  the  different  kinds  of  small  fruits,  strawberries,  blackberries, 
etc.  Among  these  the  apple  is  the  staple.  Like  wheat,  it  is  a 
sure  thing  anywhere  in  the  valley,  where  the  land  is  not  posi- 
tively swampy.  There  is  generally  a  fair  market  for  apples  in 
San  Francisco,  as  those  of  California  production  are  of  inferior 
quality ;  and,  as  the  apple  is  a  fi-uit  that  bears  transportation,  it 
will  continue  to  be  cultivated  for  export  to  a  considerable  extent. 
The  hilly  portions  of  the  valley  seem  to  be  better  adapted  to 
fruit-growing  than  any  other.  The  extensive  tracts  of  timbered 
lands  in  the  northern  part  of  the  valley  are  especially  good  for 
that  purpose.  These  are  convenient  to  the  Portland  market,  and, 
also,  to  shipping  facilities ;  hence  it  is  probable  that  the  fruit 
business  in  future  will  receive  more  attention  here  than  elsewhere 
in  the  valley. 

"The  peach  and  kindred  fruits  do  not  succeed  well,  unless,  it 
may  be,  in  sheltered  localities  in  the  upper  part  of  the  valley. 
The  climate  is  not  adapted  to  their  growth.  Like  corn,  such 
fruits  require  hot  weather  and  hot  nights  to  biing  them  to  ma- 
turity, instead  of  which  we  have  in  the  Wallamet  Valley  the  cool 
sea-air  and  cool  nights  all  summer.     There  is  too  much  moisture 


348  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

in  the  atmospliere ;  in  short,  the  peach  is  awayfrom  its  natural 
home  on  the  soil  of  the  Wallamet  Valley.  About  as  much  might 
be  said  of  the  grape,  although  some  varieties  seem  to  do  tolerably 
well.  The  vine  is  healthy,  but  the  herrj  is  subject  to  uiildew. 
It  will  not  mature  every  year.  It  has  not  the  flavor  that  belongs 
to  the  grape  in  its  native  home.  Some  persons,  however,  have 
had  good  success  with  grapes.  Very  much,  no  doubt,  depends 
on  the  locality.  Cherries  and  plums  are  j^roduced  in  great  pro- 
fusion and  variety,  particularly  in  the  northern  part  of  the  valley, 
where  the  Portland  market  affords  ready  sale  for  them.  In  and 
around  Portland,  in  the  gardens  and  small  farms,  the  cuitui-e  of 
stiiiwberries,  blackbemes,  cuiTants,  and  that  class  of  fruits  has 
become  quite  a  business — one,  too,  that  is  increasing  every  year. 
The  climate  is  adapted  to  their  growth.  They  mature  well,  and 
yield  very  heavily.  They  are  remarkably  fine-flavored,  very  large, 
and  otherwise  of  good  quality. 

"The  nurseries  all  over  the  valley,  as  well  as  elsewhere  in 
Oregon,  j^re  well  stocked  with  every  variety  of  fruit.  Great  pains 
are  taken  by  those  in  that  business  to  keep  up  with  the  demand 
for  their  products,  to  introduce  new  varieties,  and  improve  the 
fruit  of  the  country.  Fruifc-treeo  come  into  bearing  much  earlier 
than  anywhere  in  the  States  of  the  Atlantic  coast.  Usually  the 
thuxl  year  from  transplanting  the  tree  begins  to  bear ;  at  about 
six  years  old  it  is  in  full  bearing, 

"The  Wallamet  Valley  may  be  relied  on  by  the  farmer  as  a  safe 
place  in  which  to  pursue  his  vocation.  Its  products  are  the  lead- 
ing necessaries  of  life.  The  land  is  good ;  the  climate  mild  and 
healthful ;  markets  good,  of  easy  access,  and  always  reliable. 
The  question  has  been  frequently  asked  '  if  the  soil  of  the  Wal- 
lamet does  not  wear  out?'  It  has  never  yet  worn  out,  and  some 
of  it,  too,  has  been  in  cultivation  continuously  for  twenty  or 
twenty -five  years.  The  crop  is  apparently  as  good  now  as  that 
of  fifteen  or  eighteen  years  ago.  The  annual  wheat  yield  is,  ap- 
proximately, about  throe  million  bushels ;  of  all  other  grains, 
about  1,500,000  bushels.  A  very  large  amount  of  live  stock,  dairy 
products,  wool,  and  bacon  are  marketed  annually,  the  cash 
value  of  which  can  only  be  approximately  estunated,  say  about 
^2,000,000."— Democratic  Era. 

"la  our  last  issue,  we  placed  the  stock  of  flour  on  hand  July 
1st,  1871,  at  78,500  bbls.,  chiefly  Oregon  brands.  We  have  since 
seen  a  statement  that  the  flour  stock  in  Portland,  Oregon,  at  same 


ABOUT    FARMING.   AND   OTHER   BUSINESS.  349 

date,  was  15,000  bbls.  During  the  past  hai'vest  year  we  received 
from  Oregon  179, 53G  bbls.  ;  from  the  interior  of  this  State, 
123,513  bbls. — the  former  53, 000  bbls.  more  than  the  year  previous, 
and  ^10  latter  G1,000  bbls.  less.  Now,  then,  how  much  flour  was 
manufactured  in  this  city  the  past  twelve  months  ?  Probably  not 
less  than  200,000  bbls.,  or  considerably  less  than  for  the  previous 
harvest  year.  Our  millers  do  not  like  to  see  the  Oregonians  suc- 
cessfully competing  for  their  legitimate  trade,  and  measures  to 
check  the  same  are  being  taken,  which  will  doubtless  effect  a 
serious  change  in  this  regard ;  improved  i:)atent  machinery  being 
brought  into  play,  thereby  greatly  reducing  the  cost  of  manu- 
facturing. Oregon  has  already  opened  a  direct  export  wheat 
trade  with  the  United  Kingdom,  and  more  or  less  flour  has  also 
been  exported  to  foreign  marts,  and  it  is  to  be  i)i'esumed  that 
some  increase  in  this  direct  trade  abroad  will  natui'ally  result. 
Vessels  bringing  cargoes  of  railroad  iron,  salt,  etc.,  to  Oregon, 
will  naturally  cany  off  cargoes  of  both  flour  and  wheat  in  ex- 
change, though  it  is  believed  that  upon  the  completion  of  the 
Northern  Railroad  to  Oregon,  much  of  the  joroduce  of  that  State 
will  be  diverted  inland,  while  more  or  less  will  seek  this  market 
by  rail.  Heretofore  the  Oregon  farmers  have  been  so  isolated 
from  available  markets  that  the  millers  of  that  State  have  had 
large  advantages  during  the  long  winter  months,  bupng  up 
wheat  at  very  low  rates,  grinding  it  at  their  leisure,  and  shi2:)ping 
it  to  the  most  available  markets,  and  at  such  a  low  cost  as  to 
defy  all  competition.  Changes  of  some  moment  in  this  regard 
are  imminent,  and  that  at  no  distant  period." — Sayi  Francisco 
Commercial  Herald. 

"Where  the  Shoe  Pinches. — A  San  Francisco  exchange  is 
responsible  for  the  following,  which  is  so  eminently  characteristic 
of  California  ideas  that  we  publish  it :  '  Our  city  millers  will  cer- 
tainly be  glad  to  have  Oregonians  ship  their  flour  direct  to  foreign 
marts,  rather  than  send  it  here,  to  glut  our  market  and  keep  up 
a  sharp  competition  for  the  trade  of  this  port.  Our  millers  and 
shippers  would  much  prefer  to  receive  the  Oregon  wheat  than  the 
flour,  for  in  the  former  case  it  can  be  utilized  to  a  good  purpose 
by  mixing  with  the  California  product.'" — Oregonian. 

"Sheep  Breeding. — The  high  prices  obtained  for  wool  by  our 
growers  will  doubtless  lend  an  additional  impetus  to  the  raising 
of  sheep  for  wool.  The  range  in  the  Wallamet  Valley  and  also 
in  Southern  Oregon  is  gradually  closing  up,  forcing  wool-growers 


350  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

to  take  their  flocks  to  Eastern  Oregon  and  Washington  Territory, 
thus  bringing  the  sheep  into  a  drier  climate,  which  will  event- 
ually, when  shown  to  be  more  profitable,  cause  the  breeding  to  a 
considei-able  extent  of  a  finer  breed  of  sheep.  Our  wool-growers 
have  not  bred  up  to  the  standard  attained  by  California  wool- 
growers  ;  and,  though  our  wool  brings  high  prices,  owing  to  its 
being  of  a  year's  growth  and  answering  for  combing -wool,  still, 
we  think,  after  being  forced  to  go  east  of  the  Cascades  they  will 
find  it  profitable  to  give  more  attention  to  breeding  for  fine  wool. 
In  a  climate  such  as  is  found  east  of  the  Cascades,  experience  has 
shown  that  fine-wool  merino  sheep  do  better  than  any  other  kind. 
Our  factories  have  had  difiiculty  in  obtaining  fine  wool  e«iiough  in 
Oregon  for  their  use,  and  consequently  have  been  forced  to  obtain 
supplies  from  San  Francisco.  The  demand  for  a  few  years  past 
for  long  wool  induced  many  wool -growers  in  the  older  States  and 
also  in  California  to  breed  for  long  wool,  but  that  demand  is 
likely  to  be  met  by  wool -growers  East,  who  are  given  the  prefer- 
ence owing  to  the  wool  being  of  a  finer  texture ;  but  for  fine 
wool  there  always  exists  a  demand  at  round  figures,  and,  let  the 
supply  be  ever  so  large,  still  it  will  find  a  ready  market." — Demo- 
cratic Era. 

"State  Agricultueal  Society. — The  exhibition  served  to  show 
that,  whatever  may  be  the  capacity  of  the  State,  the  dairy  inter- 
est is  not  fully  developed.  The  cjittle- yards  exhibit  the  same 
facts.  There  were  a  few  very  nice  cattle — Durhams  and  Devons, 
and  gsades  from  these,  but  not  one  animal  had  been  bred  for  the 
milking  quality.  In  fact,  I  am  led  to  believe  that  such  are  not 
in  the  State. 

"The  Oregon  farmer  prides  himself  on  his  horses,  and  cer- 
tainly many  not  without  good  cause.  The  improvement  of  the 
stock  is  made  the  excuse  for  the  race -track  for  the  'trial  of 
speed,'  as  it  is  termed.  It  is  certainly  a  misnomer  to  call  these 
races  a  trial  of  speed.  They  would  more  properly  be  known  as  a 
trial  of  skill  in  horse -jockeying,  of  attempts  to  deceive  the  by- 
standers— in  a  word,  a  perfect  gambling-sho]).  While  telling  the 
tinith  in  this  matter,  let  me  exonei-ate  at  least  a  large  majority 
of  the  gentlemen  managers  of  the  society  and  fair.  Their  aim 
has  been,  and  is,  higher  than  merely  to  draw  a  crowd  and  give 
them  an  opportunity  of  betting.  In  the  matter  of  this  race- 
track they  have  an  elephant  on  their'hands,  that  is  yearly  degen- 
erating the  character  of  the  fair,  which  in  part  will  account  for 


ABOUT   FARMING,  AND   OTHER  BUSINESS.  351 

the  meagre  display  in  many  departments,  and  which  "will  event- 
ually cause  many  of  the  more  thoughtful  people  to  withdraw  their 
support  altogether. 

"The  sheep  husbandry  was  well  represented  by  five  or  six 
different  breeds,  making  a  display  well  worth  seeing.  An  enter- 
prising California  breeder  introduced  some  Cotswold  sheep,  the 
first,  I  believe  it  is  said,  in  the  State  ;  also  some  Cashmere  goats 
that  attracted  universal  attention.  The  South  Down  seemed, 
however,  to  be  the  favorite  of  many.  In  this  department,  there 
seemed  to  be  great  interest  manifested,  showing  that  the  recent 
high  prices  of  wool  will  again  attract  the  attention  of  the  farm- 
er. " — Oregonian. 

"The  census  reports  show  the  following  agricultural  products 
for  Oregon  for  the  year  18G9  : 

Bushels.  Value. 

Wheat 1,750,000        $1,500,000 

Eye 5,200  5,200 

Oats 600,000  270,000 

Corn.. 200,000  200,000 

Barley 200,000  200,000 

Potatoes 500,000  300,000 

Hay  (tons) 75,000  637,500 

"  The  returns  show  that  there  were  in  the  State,  in  1869, 47,800 
horses,  1,500  mules  and  asses,  79,312. milch  cows,  101,500  young 
sheep,  112,700  swine,  and  140,500  young  cattle.  Total  value  of  do- 
mestic animals,  $7,936,255.  Cheese  was  produced  the  same  year 
to  the  amount  of  105,779  pounds,  and  butter,  1,000,159  pounds. 
The  production  of  the  State  has  been  prodigiously  stimulated 
since  1869  by  the  building  of  railroads  and  accessions  to  the" 
jDopulation." — San  Francisco  Bulletin. 

From  these  various  quotations  from  home  papers  all 
may  be  gathered  that  is  necessary  to  show  the  rapidly 
growing  agricultural  interests  of  Oregon  ;  as  well  as  to 
betray  what  branches  of  farming  are  neglected,  to  the 
injury  of  the  State.  When  the  Oregonian  asserts  that 
no  cows  are  bred  for  their  milking  qualities,  it  con- 
fesses a  great  error  on  the  part  of  Oregon  farmers,  and 
points  out  to  the  ambitious  immigrant  a  new  source  of 
profit.     With  butter  seventy  -  five  cents  a  pound  in  San 


352  OREGON   AND   W  4.SHINGT0N. 

Francisco,  and  from  twenty -five  to  forty -five  cents  m 
Portland,  there  is  money  in  the  dairy  business. 

Fowls,  which  generally  do  not  do  well  in  California, 
are  healthy  and  prolific  in  Oregon.  Eggs  always  com- 
mand a  high  price  in  San  Francisco,  and  are  by  no 
means  so  cheap  as  they  should  be  in  Portland,  simply 
because  farmers  neglect  to  raise  hens. 

The  cultivation  of  flax  is  an  industry  only, of  late 
resorted  to  in  Oregon,  though  the  culture  of  this  plant 
is  highly  profitable  ;  and  it  is,  besides,  indigenous  to 
the  soil  in  many  parts  of  this  State  and  Washington 
Territory.  We  notice,  however,  the  receipt  of  twenty 
thousand  bushels  of  flax-seed  at  the  oil -mills  in  Al- 
bany, this  year,  and  the  Pioneer  Oil -mill  of  Salem 
must  have  received  as  much  more. 

Owing  to  the  drought  in  California,  wheat  has  sold 
in  Oregon  at  from  $1.00  to  $1.45  per  bushel  the 
present  year  (1871) ;  oats,  at  eighty  cents  per  bushel ; 
and  hay,  twenty  dollars  per  ton.  Wool  brings  from 
thirty -five  to  thirty -six  cents  per  pound.  The  spring 
clip  amounted  to  over  two  million  pounds. 

The  Oregon  City  Woolen  Mills,  this  year,  shipped  to 
Boston  fifty  thousand  pounds  of  their  surplus  wool, 
and  expected  to  ship  one  hundred  thousand  pounds 
more. 

The  San  Francisco  Bidktin,  in  a  review  of  things 
seen  at  the  Mechanics'  Institute  Fair  in  that  city,  gives 
a  very  favorable  notice  of  Oregon  City  woolen  goods, 
and 'adds:  "The  production  of  this  company  consists 
chiefly  of  tweeds,  flannels,  cassimercs,  blankets,  and 
yarn.  They  manufacture  mainly  for  the  Oregon  mar- 
ket, which  gives  little  demand  for  the  finer  styles  of 
woolen  goods.  In  cassimercs,  they  claim  superiority  to 
any  institution  on  the  coast.     Their  stock  of  cassimercs 


ABOUT  FARMING,   AND   OTHER  BUSINESS.  353 

is  large,  and  of  varied  assortment.  Many  of  the  best 
pieces  of  goods  seen  in  the  windows  of  our  aristocratic 
tailor -shops,  are  from  this  factory.  Of  tweeds,  for 
men's  and  boys'  wear,  their  supply  is  good.  They 
make  all  varieties  of  blankets,  from  the  coarse  gray  to 
the  finest  lambs'- wool,  at  forty  dollars  per  pair.  Their 
flannels  are  substantial,  and  of  various  grades  of  fine- 
ness. They  exhibit  forty -five  pieces  of  cassimere^ 
which  those  who  love  to  examine  good  fabrics  will  be 
pleased  to  look  at." 

Farm  hands  can  not  be  hired  for  less  than  $25  to  $30 
per  month  and  board.  Chinamen  are  sometimes  em- 
ployed in  harvesting,  as  also  are  the  Indians  from  the 
reservations,  but  not  to  any  great  extent. 

Saddle  horses  may  be  bought  for  from  $80  to  $100  ; 
farm  horses,  from  $100  to  $125  ;  draught  horses,  from 
$150  to  $200;  mules,  $250  to  $350  a  pair;  yoke  cattle, 
$100  per  pair;  milch  cows,  $40  to  $50  for  good  stock; 
sheep,  $1.50  to  $2.50  ;  mutton  sheep,  $2.50  to  $3.50  ■ 
beef- cattle,  per  pound,  six  and  a  half  to  seven  cents  ; 
fat  hogs,  seven  cents. 

The  price  of  farming  land  varies  from  five  to  fifty 
dollars  per  acre.  Farms  may  be  rented  on  very  good 
terms.  We  know  of  one  gentleman  who  purchased  an 
.improved  farm  near  McMinnville,  in  Yamhill  County, 
last  spring,  at  fifteen  dollars  per  acre,  there  being  be- 
tween three  and  four  hundred  acres  in  the  place.  He 
agreed  to  take  eight  hundred  bushels  of  wheat  for  the 
rent  of  it ;  and  the  farmer  who  hired  it  not  only  paid 
his  rent,  which,  at  the  present  high  price  of  wheat, 
amounted  to  considerably  more  than  eight  hundred 
dollars,  but  had  wheat  enough  left  to  make  the  first 
payment  on  a  farm  for  himself,  besides  supplying  his 
family  for  the  year.     It  is  impossible  for  any  but  a 


354  OREGON   AND    WASHINGTON. 

poor  farmer  to  be  poor  in  pocket  in  a  country  like 
this. 

To  the  above  general  account  of  Oregon  farming,  we 
add  a  few  items  about  trade  and  revenue. 

By  the  politeness  of  the  Custom  House  officials  in 
Astoria  we  are  placed  in  receipt  of  the  following  sta- 
tistics of  the  imports,  exports,  and  clearances  at  that 
port  from  January  1st,  1871,  to  August  25th,  1871  : 
Total  value  of  exports  to  foreign  countries,  $36,167. 
Included  are — to  Peru,  lumber,  391  M,  $4,100;  spars, 
etc.,  $388.  To  China,  lumber,  388  M,  $3,496  ;  spars, 
etc.,  -$469.  To  Hawaiian  Islands,  lumber,  229  M, 
$2,189  ;  spars,  etc.,  $438.  The  Knappton  Mills  ship 
full  cargoes  of  lumber  to  San  Francisco  every  month, 
but  they  do  not  report  at  the  Custom-house,  and  we 
have  no  account  of  them.  Total  value  of  imports  from 
foreign  countries,  $143,425.  Number  of  vessels  in 
foreign  trade,  cleared,  23  ;  tons,  11,451.  Number  of 
vessels  cleared  in  coast  trade,  267  ;  tons,  122,914, 

The  monthly  report  of  the  Chief  of  .the  Bureau  of 
Statistics,  No.  11,  shows  the  following  imports  and  ex- 
l^orts  for  Oregon  during  the  eleven  months  ending  May 
31,  1871: 

Imports.  Domestic  Exports.       Foreign  Exports. 

Merchandise $4,708,909  79    $3,9G2,859  21     $129,104  70 

Specie  and  bulhoa..       192,798  80  750,623  11       122,925  71 

Eleven  months  ending  May  31,  1870  : 

Imports.  Domestic  Exports.       Foreign  Exports. 

Merchandise $3,9G5,8G3  62    $3,476,813  26    $148,060  48 

Specie  and  bulhon..       254,713  05  382,007  99      129,906  84 

The  valuation  of  domestic  exports  is  given  in  specie. 

The  amount  of  revenue  assessed  during  tlie  six 
months  ending  June  30,  1871,  is  $57,510  ;  of  this 
amount,  $27,765   was  derived  from  incomes  for  the 


ABOUT   FARMING,   AND   OTHER   BUSINESS.  355 

year.  The  monthly  average  of  bank  capital  employed 
is  ^'935,005.  The  monthly  average  of  deposits  in  banks 
is  $1,054,498.  The  total  valuation  of  property  in  the 
Portland  District,  upon  which  taxes  for  school  purposes 
will  be  raised,  is  $6,035,525.  The  total  school  tax  on 
this  is  $21,124.33|. 

All  business  in  Oregon  and  Washington  is  transacted 
on  a  gold  basis.  When  legal  tenders  are  used,  they 
pass  at  their  value  in  gold,  as  determined  each  day  by 
the  market  quotations.  A  statute  of  the  Oregon 
Legislature  provides  for  the  enforcement  of  contracts 
to  pay  in  gold  coin.  The  Tegal  rate  of  interest  is  ten 
per  cent,  per  annum ;  or,  by  express  agreement,  it  may 
be  made  one  per  cent,  per  month,  but  not  more. 

Beyond  the  manufacture  of  lumber,  flour,  woolen 
goods,  staves,  linseed -oil,  wagons,  soap,  common  pot- 
tery, cabinet  furniture,  agricultural  implements,  stoves, 
steafh- engines,  and  other  iron  works,  there  is  nothing 
produced  in  the  way  of  manufactures  worthy  of  men- 
tion. The  country  waits  for  capital  to  bring  out  its 
almost  unlimited  resources  in  this  direction,  and  for 
cheap  labor  to  make  it  available. 

Most  kinds  of  mechanical  labor  find  employment  at 
from  three  to  five  dollars  per  day.  Brick -layers  and 
stone-masons  get  six  dollars;  machinists,  four  dollars; 
common  laborers,  one  dollar  and  three  -  fourths ;  do- 
mestic servants,  twelve  to  twenty  -  five  dollars  per 
month.  All  kinds  of  food  are  cheaper  in  Oregon  and 
Washington  than  in  the  Atlantic  States,  and  of  a  bet- 
ter quality.  There  is  less  adulteration  in  imported 
articles;  \thile  fruits  and  vegetables  are  both  plentiful 
and  excellent,  and  may  be  enjoyed'  fresh  almost  the 
whole  year  round. 


CHAPTER   XXXIY. 

LAND  AND  LAND  LAWS,   RAILROADS,   ROUTES,    ETC. 

To  SUCH  persons  as  may  be  tliinking  of  purchasing 
farming  lands  in  Oregon  and  Washington,  we  address 
this  chapter.  It  is  useless  to  look  for  Government 
land  in  the  Wallamet  Vailey.  All  that  portion  of 
the  valley  which  is  open  prairie  was  taken  up  long  ago, 
including  the  School  land.  All  the  good  land  in  the 
foot-hills  on  each  side  of  the  valley  is  covered  by 
railroad  and  other  road -grants.  Therefore,  to  get  a 
farm  in  the  Wallamet  Valley,  the  purchaser  must  deal 
with  the  original  claimants  of  the  level  prairie,  or  with 
the  owner  of  the  road -grants.  Of  the  first  class,  land 
may  be  obtained  at  all  prices,  ranging  from  five  to  fifty 
dollars.  Of  the  railroad  companies,  land  may  be  pur- 
chased on  favorable  terms,  where  surveyed  ;  and  set- 
tled upon  by  pre-emption  where  unsurveyed — the 
companies  standing  in  the  place  of  Government  toward 
the  settler.  Onl}^  one  hundred  and  sixt}'^  acres  can  be 
taken  by  pre-emption,  or  sold  to  one  person.  At  the 
offices  of  these  companies  are  maps,  and  descriptions 
from  the  surveyor's  notes,  of  every  separate  parcel  of 
land,  with  its  valuation,  which  ranges  in  general  from 
two  dollars  and  a  half  to  twelve  dollars  per  acre. 

In  the  valleys  of  Umpqua  and  Rogue  rivers,  there 
is  more  land  not  yet  taken  up  ;  still,  not  a  great  deal, 
except  over  toward  the  coast.  But  all  along  the  coast 
are  large  tracts  of  Government  land,  principally  tim- 


LAND  AND  LAND  LAWS.  357 

bered,  with  occasional  small  prairies  and  creek -bot- 
toms, which  can  be  purchased  for  one  dollar  and  a 
quarter  per  acre. 

In  Western  "Washington,  along  the  coast,  and  in  the 
northern  portion,  as  well  as  at  some  places  near  the 
Sound,  there  is  plenty  of  public  land.  But  the  great- 
est bodies  of  public  land  are  east  of  the  Cascades, 
where  millions  of  acres  of  excellent  soil  await  settle- 
ment. 

The  Pre-emption  and  Ilomestead  laws  of  the  United 
States  are  as  follows: 

"Pre-emption. — Every  person,  being  the  head  of  a  family,  or 
■widow,  or  single  man  over  the  age  of  twenty -one  years,  and 
being  a  citizen  of  the  United  States,  or  who  shall  have  declared 
his  intention  to  become  a  citizen,  is  allowed  by  law  to  make  a 
settlement  on  any  i:)nblic  land  of  the  United  States  not  appropri- 
ated or  reserved.  In  the  case  of  unsurveyed  lands,  legal  incep- 
tion by  actual  settlement  will  take  place,  but  no  proceeding 
toward  completion  of  title  can  be  had  until  after  the  land  has 
been  surveyed  and  the  surveys  returned  to  the  District  Land 
Office.  The  settler  is  obliged  to  erect  a  dwelling,  occupy  and 
improve  the  land,  and  make  it  his  or  her  home.  But  no  person 
can  obtain  the  benefit  of  more  than  one  j^re-emjjtion  right,  and 
no  person  who  is  the  owner  of  320  acres  of  land  in  any  State  or 
Territory,  or  who  shall  abandon  his  residence  on  his  own  land, 
to  live  on  the  public  land,  can  acquire  any  right  of  pre-emption. 
Where  the  tract  on  which  settlement  is  made  has  once  been 
offered  at  public  sale,  a  declaratory  statement  as  to  the  fact  of 
settlement  must  be  made  at  the  Land  Office  within  thirty  days 
from  the  date  of  settlement,  and  within  one  year  from  that  date 
proof  of  residence  and  cultivation  must  be  made,  and  the  land 
paid  for.  Where  the  tract  has  been  surveyed  but  not  offered  at  pub- 
lic sale,  the  claimant  must  file  his  statement  within  three  months 
from  the  date  of  settlement,  and  make  proof  and  payment  before 
the  day  designated  by  the  President  for  the  public  sale  of  the 
lands. 

The  quantity  of  land  allowed  to  one  settler  by  pre-emption,  is 
one  quarter -section,  or  160  acres,  and  the  price  to  be  paid,  is 


358  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

$1.25  per  acre,  except  in  the  case  of  alternate  sections  embraced 
in  any  railroad  reservation,  which  is  $2.50  j^er  acre. 

Should  the  settler  die  before  estabHshing  his  claim  within  the 
period  limited  by  law,  the  title  may  be  perfected  by  the  executor, 
administrator,  or  one  of  the  heu's,  by  making  the  requisite  proof 
of  settlement  and  paying  for  the  land. 

'In  the  case  of  a  settlement  made  on  ansurveyed  lands,  the 
claimant  must  file  notice  of  settlement  within  three  months  after 
the  receipt  of  the  township  plat  at  the  District  Land  Office,  and 
make  proof  and  payment  as  required  in  the  case  where  surveys 
had  been  made  previous  to  settlement. 

Homesteads. — The  Homestead  Law  gives  to  every  citizen  of 
the  United  States,  or  foreigner  declaring  his  intention  to  become 
such,  the  right  to  a  homestead  on  surveyed  lands.  This  is  con- 
ceded to  the  extent  of  one  quarter -section,  or  160  acres,  of  land 
not  embraced  within  the  limits  of  railroad  or  other  reservation, 
or  eighty  acres,  when  the  location  is  made  on  alternate  sections 
embraced  icithhi  such  reserves.  To  obtain  homesteads  the  party 
must  inake  affidavit  that  he  is  the  head  of  a  family,  or  a  single 
man  over  twenty -one  years  of  age;  that  he  is  a  citizen  or  has 
declared  his  intention  to  become  one,  and  that  the  location  is  made 
for  his  exclusive  use  and  benefit  for  actual  settlement  and  cultiva- 
tion. The  fees  and  expenses  connected  with  the  location  of  a 
homestead  in  Oregon  are  twenty -two  dollars  when  the  full 
amount  of  land  is  taken,  or  eleven  dollars  if  half  the  quantity 
allowed  by  law  is  located.  On  making  the  affidavit  before  the 
Register  and  payment  of  the  fees,  a  duplicate  receipt  will  be 
given,  which  vests  an  inceptive  right  in  the  settler,  and  upon 
faithful  observance  of  the  law,  which  requires  continuous  settle- 
ment and  cultivation  for  the  period  of  five  j'ears,  and  upon  proper 
proof  of  that  fact  to  the  Land  officers  Avithin  two  years  after  the 
time  has  expired,  certificates  will  be  issued  as  a  basis  of  a  com- 
I)lete  title  to  the  land. 

Where  a  homestead  settler  dies  before  the  consnmmation  .of 
his  claim,  the  heirs  may  continue  the  settlement  and  obtain  title 
upon  requisite  proof  at  the  proper  time. 

A.  homestead  settler  can  not  sell  his  claim  until  after  his  title  is 
complete,  but  he  can  at  any  time  relinquish  his  claim  by  surren- 
dering his  receipts,  after  which  he  is  not  allowed  to  make  another 
settlement  under  the  Houiestead  Law. 

A  settlement  made  under  the  Pre-emption  Law  may  be  changed 
to  a  homestead  entry,  if  no  adverse  right  intervenes. 


LAND  AND  LAND  LAWS.  359 

If  the  homestead  settler  does  not  wish  to  remain  five  years  on 
his  tract,  the  law  permits  him  to  jjay  for  it  with  cash,  at  the  pre- 
scribed rates  for  claims  taken  by  pre-emption,  and  upon  proof  of 
settlement  and  cultivation  from  date  of  entry  to  time  of  payment. 

Lands  obtained  under  the  Homestead  Law  are  exempt  from  Jia- 
bility  for  debts  contracted  prior  to  the  issuing  of  a  complete  title 
by  the  Government. 

Another  method  of  obtaining  Government  lands  is  by  '  private 
entxy,'  and  applies  only  to  such  lands  as  have  been  offered  at 
pubUc  sale  and  remain  unsold.  In  this  case  payment  in  cash  or 
land  warrants  can  be  made  at  once  and  a  complete  title  obtained 
without  delay,  other  than  the  time  necessary  to  transmit  the  pa- 
pers to  the  General  Land  Office  and  receive  the  patent  in  return. 
The  price  of  land  at  'private  entiy'  is  $1.25  per  acre,  except  in 
the  case  of  reserved  sections :  that  is  $2.50  per  acre.  At  cash 
entry  any  quantity  can  be  taken  that  is  desired.  In  Eastern  Ore- 
gon there  is  no  land  subject  to  'private  entry,'  but  in  Western 
Oregon  there  is  still  a  considerable  amount. 

There  are  three  Land  Offices  in  Oregon  for  the  transaction  of 
business  connected  with  the  disposal  of  Government  lands  :  one 
at  Oregon  City,  in  the  Wallamet  Valley;  one  atRoseburg,  in  Uie 
Umpqua  Valley ;  and  one  at  La  Grande,  in  Grand  Ronde  Valley, 
Eastern  Oregon.  The  Surveyor -Genei-al's  office  is  at  Eugene 
City,  in  Lane  County. 

The  Land  Offices  for  Washington  Territory  are  at  Olympia,  at 
Vancouver,  and  at  Walla  Walla." 

It  is  only  in  the  List  four  or  five  years  that  Oregon 
has  thoroughly  realized  the  importance  of  railroads  to 
progress.  But  since  fully  awakened,  great  strides  have 
been  made  toward  connecting  this  remotest  State  of 
the  Union  with  California  and  the  East.  The  first 
railroads  built  on  the  soil  of  Oregon  and  Washington 
were  five  miles  of  portage  around  the  Cascades  of  the 
Columbia,  about  1853,  and  fifteen  miles  around  the 
portage  at  the  Dalles,  in  1862,  by  the  Oregon  Steam 
Navigation  Company.  The  first  was  a  rude  tramway 
only,  until  the  increasing  business  on  the  river  made 
a  locomotive  railwa}-  justifiable  and  necessary. 


360  OREGON   AND    WASHINGTON. 

In  18G9  the  Oregon  and  California  Railroad,  from 
Portland  to  Sacramento,  was  commenced  ;  but  so  late 
in  the  season  that  but  twenty  miles  of  road  were  com- 
pleted that  year.  The  following  year  it  reached  Al- 
ban}^,  seventy  -  eight  miles  from  Portland,  and  in  1871 
had  been  pushed  as  far  south  as  Eugene  City,  at  the 
head  of  the  Wallamet  Valley.  By  the  time  these 
pages  are  in  print,  it  will  have  been  completed  to  Oak- 
land, in  the  Umpqua  Valley,  one  hundred  and  eighty- 
two  miles  from  the  starting-point  at  East  Portland. 
At  the  same  time,  it  is  advancing  from  the  south,  be- 
ing now  completed  to  Tehama,  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
three  miles  north  of  Sacramento.  Thus  the  six  hun- 
dred miles  of  staging  between  Portland  and  Sacramento 
are  being  rapidly  reduced,  so  that  in  another  year  only 
a  day  of  staging  will  remain  to  vary  the  monotony  of 
railroad  travel. 

This  road  receives  from  the  General  Government  a 
grant  of  land  amounting  to  12,800  acres  per  mile,  and 
becomes  proprietor  of  nearly  all  the  unclaimed  lands 
in  the  valleys  through  which  it  passes.  By  very  just 
and  equitable  regulations,  however,  the  owners  of  these 
lands,  called  "The  European  and  Oregon  Land  Com- 
pany," have  placed  it  in  the  power  of  actual  settlers 
to  select  and  occupy  homesteads  on  their  lands,  and 
pay  for  them  on  exceedingly  easy  terms. 

The  second  great  railway  in  Oregon  is  the  Oregon 
Central  Railroad,  commencing  at  Portland,  on  the  west 
side  of  the  Wallamet,  and  running  to  Junction  City, 
at  a  point  between  Corvallis  and  Eugene.  This  road 
will  also  control  a  large  amount  of  land  ;  and  will  have 
a  branch  to  the  Columbia  River  at  Astoria,  or  at  some 
point  in  Columbia  County,  or  both,  opening  up  a  great 
extent  of  valuable  timber,  mineral,  and  farming  lauds. 


LAND  AND  LAND  LAWS.  3G1 

Twenty  miles  of  this  road  are  completed,  and  the  cars 
were  running  to  Cornelius,  between  Ilillsboro  and 
Forest  Grove,  in  January,  1872. 

The  third  great  road,  which  as  yet  is  only  projected, 
is  from  the  Dalles  to  a  point  on  the  Union  Pacific, 
near  Salt  Lake  City.  This  road,  when  built,  will  com- 
mand the  trade  of  the  rich  mineral  districts  of  South- 
ern Idaho  and  Eastern  Oregon.  Another  road  is  talked 
of,  from  the  head  of  the  Wallamet  Valley,  via  Diamond 
Peak  Pass,  or  thereabout,  across  the  Klamath  country 
and  the  Humboldt  Valley,  to  a  junction  with  the 
Union  Pacific. 

The  railroads  of  Washington  Territory  are  also  mak- 
ing good  progress.  The  Northern  Pacific,  traversing 
the  continent,  from  Lake  Superior  to  Puget  Sound 
and  the  Columbia  River,  has  already  completed  its  first 
twenty-five  mile  section  on  that  portion  of  the  line  be- 
tween the  Columbia  and  the  Sound.  This  road  has 
secured  a  grant  from  the  General  Government  of  land 
equivalent  to  25,600  acres  per  mile  through  the  Ter- 
ritories, and  12,800  per  mile  through  the  States.  If 
by  pre-emption,  settlement  under  the  Homestead  Law, 
or  other  cause,  the  Company  are  not  able  to  obtain  the 
quantity  of  land  per  mile  which  its  charter  entitles  it 
to,  it  may  make  up  the  deficiency  outside  the  twenty- 
mile  limit  of  its  land -grant. 

But  this  Company  also,  like  "The  European  and 
Oregon  Land  Company,"  have  so  systematized  and 
facilitated  the  business  of  land  sales  to  actual  settlers, 
as  to  make  it  even  easier  for  a  man  to  select  land  to 
his  liking,  than  it  would  be  without  the  Company's 
assistance.  The  terms  ofifered  are  also  easy  and  equi- 
table. 

The  second  railroad  of  importance  in  Washington 

24 


362  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

Territory  is  that  one  now  being  built  between  Walla 
Walla  and  Wallula,  on  the  Columbia  River.  This  road 
will  furnish  an  outlet  for  the  Walla  Walla  Valle}'',  add- 
ing greatly  to  its  commercial  importance  and  agricult- 
ural development.  As  the  distance  is  only  thirty 
miles,  it  is  expected  that  this  road  will  be  completed 
during  1872. 

These  various  railroads,  together  with  the  navigable 
waters  of  the  Columbia  and  Wallamet  rivers  and  Puget 
Sound,  furnish,  or  soon  will  furnish,  easy  communica- 
tion to  and  from  almost  every  portion  of  Oregon  and 
Washington.  Only  South-eastern  Oregon,  without 
navigable  waters,  is  left  to  the  slow  locomotion  of 
freight-wagons  and  stage-coaches.  This,  however,  will 
not  long  remain  so  when  the  lines  of  road  already  com- 
menced have  drawn  to  themselves  the  population  which 
the}''  are  sure  to  bring.  As  the  circles  ever  widen  on 
the  water  where  a  stone  has  been  dropped,  so  the  ever- 
widening  waves  of  population  will  succeed  where  great 
railways  penetrate  a  fertile  country  with  a  genial  cli- 
mate, and  agreeable  scenery. 

Two  routes  are  open  connectmg  Portland  with  the 
Pacific  Railroad  and  the  East.  The  first  via  the  Ore- 
gon and  California  Railroad,  and  the  Oregon  and  Cali- 
fornia Stage  Company's  line  to  Sacramento.  The 
second  is  via  the  Columbia  River  and  the  North-west- 
ern Stage  Company's  line.  Passengers  can  leave  the 
river  at  Dalles,  or  at  Umatilla,  and  find  coaches  in  wait- 
ing which  take  them  across  the  country  to  Kelton  on 
the  Central  Pacific,  via  he  Grand  and  Baker  City  in 
Eastern  Oregon,  and  Boise  City  in  Idaho.  To  the  tour- 
ist this  route  ofiers  many  attractions,  from  the  peculiar 
scenery  of  the  Blue  Mountains  and  the  Snake  River 
Valley.     The  cost  of  the  journey  either  way  is  about 


LAND  AND  LAND  LAWS.  363 

the  same  ;  but  the  longer  stage-ride  by  the  latter  route 
would  cause  it  to  be  avoided  by  families  and  invalids. 

From  New  York  to  San  Francisco,  by  railroad,  there 
are  three  classes  of  fares,  ranging  from  $13G  to  $100, 
and  $G0.  Sleeping-berths  and  meals  are  extra,  making 
a  first-class  fare,  with  all  the  extras,  cost  about  $180. 
But  if  passengers  are  provided  with  lunch-baskets,  and 
dispense  with  sleeping-cars,  and  with  baggage  exceed- 
ing one  hundred  pounds,  they  need  not  spend  much 
money  over  and  above  their  fares.  There  is  generally 
room  enough,  in  the  second  and  third-class  cars,  for 
those  who  are  provided  with  a  board  of  the  proper 
length,  to  bridge  the  space  between  two  seats,  thus  im- 
provising, with  a  pair  of  blankets,  quite  a  comfortable 
bed. 

Arrived  at  San  Francisco,  the  traveler  has  choice  be- 
tween the  steamers  of  the  North  Pacific  Transportation 
Company  —  paying  a  fare  of  $30  for  first-class  accom- 
modations ;  or  of  $15  for  steerage  passage,  meals  and 
baggage  free  ;  or  the  overland  route,  by  railway  and 
stage,  at  $45  fare  to  Portland,  and  meals  extra. 

Those  who  prefer  the  steamer  route  from  New  York 
to  San  Francisco  will  find  first-class  fares  ranging  from 
$125  to  $170  ;  and  steerage  fare,  $60.  This  includes 
all  expenses,  except  such  as  might  be  occasioned  by 
detention  on  the  Isthmus. 

Travelers  and  immigrants  not  coming  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, but  bound  to  Montana,  Idaho,  and  Eastern  Ore- 
gon, will  find  stages  awaiting  them  at  Corinne,  for 
Montana ;  and  at  Kelton,  for  Idaho  and  Eastern  Ore- 
gon. Corinne  is  eight  hundred  and  fifty -seven  miles 
east  of  San  Francisco  ;  and  Kelton  seven  hundred  and 
ninety  miles.  The  reduction  of  fare  to  immigrants 
would  amount  to  between  $20  and  $30  ;  and  to  first 


364  OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 

and  second-class  passengers  in  proportion.  The  stage- 
fare  from  Kelton  to  Umatilla,  on  the  Coluii^ibia  River, 
is  $60,  coin  ;  time,  four  days  ;  fifty  pounds  of  baggage 
allowed  ;  meals  extra.  Except  in  cases  where  immi- 
grants are  furnished  with  wagons  and  teams  of  their 
own,  it  is  quite  as  cheap,  and  decidedly  easier,  to  go  to 
San  Francisco,  and  thence  to  Portland  by  steamer. 
Persons  living  in  the  interior,  away  from  the  principal 
lines  of  travel,  will  find  it  to  their  advantage  to  send 
to  New  York,  Chicago,  or  Omaha,  for  through  tickets. 
The  particular  route  desired  to  travel  should  be  care- 
fully specified,  and  the  money  sent  through  some  bank- 
ing-house. 

From  Europe  to  San  Francisco  the  following  is  the 
cost  of  travel,  estimated  in  gold  coin  : 

"The  Liverpool  and  Great  Western  Steamship  Company  sell 
through  tickets  to  Sau  Francisco,  from  the  several  European  sea- 
port towns,  at  rates  as  follows  : 

TO    SAN   FKANaSCO,    FROM 

Cabin.  Steerage. 

Liverpool  and  Queenstown $210  00        $84  00 

Hamburg,  Amsterdam,  Rotterdam,  Harlingen, 

and  Antwerp 224  00  90  00 

Copenhagen,  Gothenburg,  Christiania,  Ber- 
gen, Havre,  Paris,  Manheim 230  00  94  00 

Children  under  twelve,  half-price ;  under  one  year,  $3  50. 

Passengers  are  forwarded  from  New  York  by  the  boats  of  the 
Pacific  Mail  Steamship  Company,  via  Panama.  Steamers  leave 
Livei'pool  and  Queenstown  once  a  week.  Steerage  passengers 
are  supplied  on  the  ocean  passage  with  medical  attendance  and 
good,  substantial  food,  free  of  cost.  Owing  to  the  fluctuations 
in  gold  in  New  York,  the  cost  of  forwarding  passengers  from 
that  point  to  San  Francisco  is  not  always  the  same  :  hence  ihe 
through  rates  from  Europe  are  liable  to  some  variation,  i hough 
not  more  than  a  few  dollars ;  and  in  any  case,  emigrants  from 
Europe  will  find  this  much  the  cheaper  route. 

In  case  emigraixts  from  Europe  should  prefer  to  cross  the 
American  continent  by  rail,  the  following  rates  of  fare  to  the 


LAND  AND  LAND  LAWS.  365 

United  States  by  the  several  steamship  lines  will  enable  them  to 
estimate  the  cost ;  railroad  fare  from  New  York  and  other  cities 
heretofore  given. 

By  the  North  German  Lloyd  SteaJmship  line  (payable  in  gold): 

.  ,   ,.  Childri;u         Children 

'^"^'-  1  to  10.      under  1  year. 

From  Bremen,  Southampton,  and 

Havre  to  Baltimore,  cabin $100  00         $50  00         $2  00 

Ditto,  steerage 40  00  20  00  2  00 

By  the  "Anchor  Line"  of  steamers  from  Glasgow  to  New 
York  (Steerage,  payable  in  gold): 

TO    KEW   YORK. 

From  Glasgow,  Londonderry,  Liverpool,  and  Queenstown.  .$o4  00 
Children  from  1  to  12  years,  half-Idre;  under  one  year,  $5. 

Prom  Hamburg,  Antwerp,  Rotterdam,  or  Havre 40  00 

Prom  Denmark,  Norway,  Sweden,  or  Paris 45  00 

Prom  Droncheim,  Malmo,  or  Stavauger,  $3  00  extra. 

Children,  one  to  twelve  years,  half-fare ;  under  one  year,  free. 

From  the  figures  given  it  is  easy  to  compute  the  ex- 
pense of  travel  and  emigration,  both  from  Europe  and 
the  Eastern  States,  to  Portland  as  a  central  point. 

From  San  Francisco  to  Puget  Sound,  semi-monthly 
steamers  run  m«^  Victoria,  British  Columbia  :  time,  four 
to  five  days  ;  fare,  $36,  cabin ;  $20,  steerage.  From 
Portland  to  Puget  Sound  there  are  two  routes  :  one  by 
steamer  every  ten  days,  via  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia 
River  and  Victoria  ;  time,  three  days.  Or  from  Port- 
land to  Monticello,  in  the  Cowlitz  Valley,  by  river 
steamers  ;  fare,  $1.50  ;  and  thence  by  stage  to  Olym- 
pia,  eighty -five  miles  ;  fare,  $10  ;  time,  two  days. 

The  fare  from  Portland  to  Dalles,  one  hundred  and 
twenty -four  miles,  by  the  Oregon  Steam  Navigation 
Company's  steamers,  is  $5  ;  to  Umatilla,  two  hundred 
and  twenty -one  miles,  $8;  to  Wallula,  two  hundred 
and  forty-five  miles,  $10  ;  to  Walla  Walla,  thirty  miles 
farther,  by  stage,  $12  ;  and  to  Lewiston,  four  hundred 
and  eight  miles,  $20. 

The  distances  from  the  mouth  of  the  Wallamet  to 
Jacksonville,  in  Southern  Oregon,  are  as  follows  : 


366 


OREGON   AND   WASHINGTON. 


Miles. 

Portland 12 

3Iilwaukie 18 

Oregon  City 25 

Salem 63 

Albany 87 

Corvailis 97 


Eugene ,  * . .  * 
Oakland,  ,  . , . 
Boseburg . . . 
CanyoiiviUe  . 
GraTe  Creek. 


Miles. 

137 
194 

212 
239 
265 


Ji«cksonyille . , 307 


The  fare  by  railroad  and  stage  averages  six  cents  a 
mile.  The  river  steamers  carry  passengers  for  much 
less  ;  but,  being  slower,  can  not  compete  with  the  rail- 
way for  passenger  travel. 

The  pleasantest  months  for  tourists  in  Oregon  and 
Washington  are  June  and  July.  The  rivers  are  then 
high  ;  vegetation  in  its  glory  ;  the  temperature  delight- 
ful ;  and  the  skies  blue  and  clear,  affording  views  of 
the  snowy  peaks,  which,  after  the  forest  fires  begin, 
are  often  obscured  by  smoke. 

SCHOOLS. 

We  find  the  provisions  made  by  the  State  of  Oregon 
for  public  schools  to  be  unusually  liberal.  First,  the 
State  donates  the  sixteenth  and  thirty -sixth  sections 
in  each  township,  for  the  use  of  public  schools ;  then, 
has  the  income  of  500,000  acres  donated  by  Congress, 
in  1841,  for  educational  purposes.  Seventy -two  sec- 
tions are  reserved  for  a  State  University,  and  ninety 
thousand  acres  for  an  Agricultural  College.  The  total 
amount  of  land  reserved  for  school  purposes  is  4,475,- 
9GG  acres.  It  is  estimated  that  these  lands  will  realize 
not  less  than  $15,000,000.  The  School  Fund  is  under 
the  management  of  a  Board  of  Commissioners,  con- 
sisting of  the  Governor,  Secretary  of  State,  and  State 
Treasurer,  who  loan  it  at  the  rate  of  ten  per  cent,  per 
annum,  secured  by  mortgage  on  real  estate.  The 
School  lands  are  sold,  on  making  application  to  the 
Clerk  of  the  county  in  which  they  are  situated,  on  the 


SCHOOLS.  367 

payment  of  onc-thh'd  down,  and  the  balance  in  two 
yearly  payments,  with  interest,  at  ten  per  cent.,  on  the 
notes,  payable  half  yearly.  They  are  valued  at  from 
$1.25  to  $5.00  per  acre,  according  to  their  quality  and 
location.  There  will  be  other  School  lands  coming 
into  market  when  the  surveys  of  now  unsurveyed 
portions  of  the  State  are  completed.  The  present 
School  Fund  amounts  to  $250,000,  bringing  in  an  an- 
nual interest  of  $25,000,  to  be  divided  among  the  sev- 
eral counties. 

Besides  the  common  schools  supported  out  of  this 
fund,  and  by  taxation,  there  are  eighteen  other  insti- 
tutions of  learning  in  Oregon,  supported  by  tuition 
fees  and  endowments.  Two  of  these  are  universities, 
several  of  them  colleges,  and  the  remainder  academies 
and  seminaries  of  various  grades.  St.  Helen's  Hall  for 
young  ladies,  and  the  Bishop  Scott  Grammar-school  for 
boys,  are  the  two  prominent  seminaries  in  the  city  of 
Portland,  after  which  the  Portland  Academy  ranks  next. 
All  are  well  attended.  St.  Helen's  Hall  has  an  attend- 
ance of  179  young  ladies,  and  the  Bishop  Scott  Gram- 
mar-school numbers  eighty- three  pupils.  The  academy 
is  not  so  flourishing  as  formerly,  but  still  has  a  good 
many  pupils  of  both  sexes.  Besides  these,  the  three 
public -school  buildings  are  well  filled,  and  private 
schools  find  support. 

Pacific  University,  at  Forest  Grove,  with  an  endow- 
ment of  $50,000,  has  in  its  academic  and  collegiate 
course  about  ninety  pupils.  Wallamet  University,  at 
Salem,  also  with  $50,000  endowment,  numbers  a  good 
many  scholars,  and  has  a  medical  department  in  a 
prosperous  condition.  Philomath  CoDege,  near  Cor- 
vallis,  has  an  attendance  of  seventy  scholars,  and  is 
favorably  known.      The  Agricultural  College  is  also 


368  OREGON   AND  -WASHINGTON. 

established  at  Corvallis,  and  the  Christian  College  at 
Monmouth.  Nearly  Qvery  county  in  Western  Oregon 
has  one  or  more  of  these  institutions  of  learning,  which, 
if  not  yet  rich  enough  to  furnish  every  help  to  instruc- 
tion which  Eastern  academies  and  colleges  have,  make 
a  very  fair  showing  for  a  State  so  thinly  populated. 

For  a  State  with  no  more  than  ninety -five  thousand 
inhabitants,  it  may  be  said,  with  truth,  that  the  institu- 
tions of  Oregon  compare  favorably  with  those  of  older 
and  more  populous  ones.  But  a  mighty  change  is 
coming  upon  the  whole  of  this  North-west  Coast 
within  the  next  decade,  which  shall  give  to  it  a  rank 
and  importance  that  those  not  familiar  with  its  ad- 
vantages of  climate  and  natural  resources  can  very 
indifferently  understand.  A  countr}^  that  has  the 
Rocky  Mountains  for  its  eastern  wall,  the  Pacific  Sea 
for  its  western  barrier  ;  whose  interior  mountains  are 
teeming  with  treasure  ;  whose  soil  is  seldom  hardened 
by  frost ;  down  whose  coasts  sail  no  icebergs  ;  whose 
wharves  front  those  of  China  and  Japan,  and  whose 
people  are  full  of  the  intellectuality  of  the  nineteenth 
century,  will  not  pause  nor  hesitate  on  the  road  to 
wealth,  learning,  literature,  or  art.  Already  Oregon  has 
furnished  the  world  a  poet,  whose  mountain  minstrelsy 
echoes  from  foreign  shores.     From  his  heights,  he 

Salutes  his  mountains — clouded  Hood, 
St.  Helen's  in  her  sea  of  wood  — 
"Where  sweeps  the  Oregon,  and  where 
White  storms  are  in  the  feathered  fir, 
And  snowy  sea-birds  wheel  and  whir." 


THE   END. 


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